


Tatooine Rebels

by marly4077



Series: Tatooine Trilogy [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Rebellion Era - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alderaan, Bartenders, Endor, Ewoks, F/M, Force Ghost Qui-Gon Jinn, Force Ghosts, Planet Naboo (Star Wars), Pregnancy, Rebellion, Romance, Ryloth | Twi'lek, Science Fiction, Sith, Tatooine, Tusken Raider, dagobah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-03
Updated: 2016-10-15
Packaged: 2018-07-19 20:50:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 67,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7376884
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marly4077/pseuds/marly4077
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sequel to Tatooine Hideaway.  Three years after his arrival on Tatooine, Obi-Wan Kenobi leads a happy existence with his beloved Mayli.  But the chains of the Empire begin to tighten, and a message from an old friend prompts both Obi-Wan and Mayli into action.  Soon, Obi-Wan takes on new roles, including one that will forever shift his perspective on life, love, and the Force.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hyperspace Dragon

**Chapter One**

**Hyperspace Dragon**

            Obi-Wan Kenobi got used to the heat of Tatooine long ago, so he hardly noticed how his sweaty tunic clung to him as he entered his home to change after his morning combat training.  After a tumultuous first year on the desert world, one in which he teetered on the edge of despair, dangerously touched the Dark Side, fought an ancient cult of Sith, made new friends, and fell in love with a woman who saved him in more ways than one, the past two standard years proved to be blessedly uneventful, allowing the Jedi to establish a comfortable routine. 

            Up before the first sunrise, Obi-Wan trained with his lightsaber, and occasionally the Sith lightsaber bow staff he’d taken, before meditating.  Afterwards, he’d eat then get to work on their home or garden or head to town for supplies, depending on their needs.  He’d gotten to know his few neighbors and checked in from time to time to see if they needed assistance, often trading farm labor for nerf meat.  When his companion and mate Mayli was home, they’d work together, but as she flew for Jabba the Hutt as a smuggler, she could be gone for several days at a time.  So Obi-Wan took on the domestic activities, finding a peace in the mundane work, allowing his mind to focus on other things such as Mayli, his future training of Luke, which would begin soon, and his continuing education with Qui-Gon Jinn. 

            Since Qui-Gon showed up two years before, Obi-Wan found solace in the visits from his former master, a connection to the Jedi and his past he thought violently severed at the end of the Clone Wars. Unfortunately, Qui-Gon’s visits were not regular.  He would appear as an almost full-bodied spirit occasionally and sometimes only a voice on the wind.  Obi-Wan found his attempts to summon Qui-Gon when most convenient for him to be fruitless.  One time his master appeared suddenly before him as he was walking Sniff around the enclosure, startling Obi-Wan so much he slipped and fell in the eopie’s dung.  Another time, Obi-Wan had been kissing Mayli in their living room, beginning to remove her clothing and head to the bedroom, when suddenly, there sat Qui-Gon.  Of course, things became very awkward as Mayli, not Force sensitive, could not see nor hear the spirit, and Qui-Gon, even through his ghostly pallor, appeared embarrassed and disappeared.  On his next visit, he revealed his frustration to Obi-Wan at not always being able to control his appearances, and the increasing feeling of himself being brought, little by little, into the Cosmic Force, which he knew he’d become a part of completely soon enough.  

            “I wish we could have begun our conversations earlier,” lamented Obi-Wan to his master one morning after his meditation, Qui-Gon’s image faded, barely visible in the morning suns.  “Before the Clone Wars, before Anakin and Palpatine, before even Count Dooku and…”

            “No use focusing on the past,” Qui-Gon said predictably.  “Focus on the now, my son.  The Living Force.”  His master chuckled.  “Plus, I did reach out to you a couple of times.  You just weren’t ready.”

            Obi-Wan nodded, remembering his initial conversations with the spirit Qui-Gon, how he’d missed opportunities in the past.  But he’d been distracted by training Anakin and a war and the Sith.  Now, he could truly focus on the Force.  And Qui-Gon taught him the deep mysteries, showing him things through shared consciousness techniques, Obi-Wan learning how to achieve the sense of immortality Qui-Gon grasped through the joined powers of the Living and Cosmic Forces. 

            “But what about me…well, disappearing?” Obi-Wan asked Qui-Gon one day as he tended Mayli’s desert garden, his master studying one of the flowers that along with being beautiful also produced an excellent sticky sweetener perfect for livening up bland dried rations bought in town.

            “I’m afraid I don’t understand,” Qui-Gon shook his head.  “But perhaps you should not take much stock in the visions of this Sith Scholar.”

            “You took stock in some ancient prophecies,” Obi-Wan reminded, trying not to sound bitter or snide, but matter-of-fact.  When Qui-Gon simply nodded, still looking at the plant, he continued.  “And Jac’s visions of the future, all came true.  They found Mayli, and thus me, through them.  Brought them right to Tatooine, out of the millions of places she could have been.”

            Again, Qui-Gon nodded. 

            “Vader strikes and I…disappear.  On something called Death Star,” Obi-Wan said, more to himself then to Qui-Gon. 

            “I don’t know, my friend,” Qui-Gon said.  “There are thousands of secrets of the Force to discover.” He paused.  “What does Mayli think?”

            Obi-Wan smiled, knowing Qui-Gon approved of Mayli, happy Obi-Wan found someone to heal him, make him laugh, share his life with.  But of course, Qui-Gon never was good at following the Jedi Code. 

            “She thinks Jac is a moron.  You’ve seen her ship.  That ugly rat on the side is named Jac,” laughed Obi-Wan.

            Qui-Gon laughed too, and Obi-Wan enjoyed talking with his master in a way he never could before, not just as master and student but as friends.  Qui-Gon shared with him stories from his own past, before Obi-Wan came into his life, that included love and loss, things the younger Jedi never heard before.  And occasionally he mentioned visiting Yoda in his own exile, which piqued Obi-Wan’s curiosity, wondering how the other remaining Jedi faired.  Qui-Gon would just shrug, assuring Obi-Wan Tatooine seemed a bit more pleasant than Dagobah, although Yoda didn’t need to worry about water and had not secured a lover.        

But this morning had marked over a month since he’s seen or heard from Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan wondering if he’d finally given his spirit to the Cosmic Force.  Changing into a dry tunic and slacks, tossing the sweaty ones aside for his next training session, he looked in the mirror of their ‘fresher and groaned.  He looked a bit shaggy and needed some maintenance. 

Mayli would be home that afternoon, gone for the past four days on Nal Hutta, but home for the next week, and Obi-Wan couldn’t wait.  He’d purchased tickets to a show in Mos Espa, found a new cave system for them to hike only two hours away by freighter, and noticed a new plant in their garden.  He looked forward to seeing her face light up when she saw it, her violet eyes smiling at him, her platinum blonde sheet of hair just begging for him to bury his face in and kiss her neck.  Yes, he’d woken up quite sprung that morning in anticipation of her arrival, but he definitely needed to make himself look presentable as well.

He whistled as he trimmed his beard, noticing a bit more grey in the auburn, but not caring, as Mayli always said she liked it, went with his blue eyes well, made him look wise.  After grooming, he went around their sparsely furnished home, tidying things up, straightening the pillows on their sofa, chuckling to himself how she made them from the fabric of stolen Sith robes.  She’d fashioned shelves from wood and other materials discarded by businesses in town, the proprietors looking at her curiously when she asked for their trash. Still, everything looked neat and tidy in their home, and Obi-Wan felt proud of his woman, his scavenger.

Picking up his lightsaber he’d placed on their dining table, he walked over to one of the shelves which housed a small chest.  Opening it, he placed the weapon inside, next to Anakin’s and the Sith Scholar Dia’s.  He’d been able to practice with it today, but mostly defaulted to a simple stick, as Imperial patrol ships seemed to be more and more frequent, and he didn’t need someone catching a glimpse of the Jedi blade from the sky.  He needed to remain the hermit Ben Kenobi, uninteresting.

Pausing for a moment to consider his work for the day, he donned his sand robes and headed outside, repairing parts of their Tusken Raider defense system knocked down by the previous week’s winds.    

Mayli sat in a cantina in Mos Eisley, waiting patiently to receive her next assignment from her contact before returning home and to the arms of Obi-Wan.  And a shower in their tiny refresher, hoping their vaporators collected enough water for a quick dousing.  She just returned from a run to Nal Hutta, the swamp world from which the Hutts originated, and she felt thoroughly gross.  But she needed to get her assignment before leaving, so she sat with a group of fellow pilots playing a lazy, uncompetitive game of sabacc.

One of the smugglers who worked for Jabba only on occasion, a clone named Wires, smiled and shook his head as Mayli won the hand and collected her winnings, chips rather than credits, nobody in the mood for true betting. 

“You hang out with that hermit who lives near Water?  Ben Kenobi?” he asked as the next hand was dealt.

“Yup,” she said, studying her cards.  “We’re friends.”

“Friends?” teased Sel, a female, orange-skinned Twi’lek.

“Oh shush,” hissed Mayli, but smiled at her friend.  Most thought Mayli lived in Water, the small oasis town near their home, a place Obi-Wan and her visited when they lived in their original hermitages when they first met.  She kept an address there for postal purposes, although it was a general store she paid to use as a fake residence, no questions asked.  And nobody seemed to care. “Why do you ask about Ben?” she inquired.

“Well, during the Clone Wars, my battalion once served under a General Kenobi.  One of the Jedi leaders.  You know…before,” he said, frowning at his hand.

Mayli took a moment to think, pretending to be considering her cards, although she felt pretty sure she already won the hand.  “Might be related,” she shrugged causally, then continued the lie.  “I’ve run into a couple of Kenobis in my travels.  Whole clan of them in Hapes.”  She chose a place more isolated, somewhere Wires probably never went.

“I haven’t thought about the Jedi in a long time,” scoffed Sel, throwing down her cards, shocking Mayli by winning.  “None of that mattered anyway, did it?  Republic, Empire, doesn’t make a difference.  Same things happening.  Ryloth still in bad shape, depresses me to visit my family. Still a slave trade.”

Mayli just nodded, considering her friend’s words.  She’d traveled around the galaxy now under two regimes and had to agree with Sel.  A lot of the same troubles still existed.  However, the Empire seemed to be tightening its grip on the galaxy.  Planets not knowing slavery before suddenly subjugated.  Laws enacted without the use of the Senate, which seemed there for show.  Tatooine even saw more patrols, although Mayli felt uncertain what they were patrolling for, as criminal activity, including the enterprise for which she worked, operated out in the open.   

“Mayli?” came a voice, and she turned to see her contact approaching.  “Week from today, Mos Espa port, headed to Nal Hutta.”

“Again?” she groaned.  “Does Jabba hate me?”

“On the contrary, you’re one of his favorites.  Efficient, amusing, attractive,” smiled Jabba’s aide.  “You know, he would probably allow you to make requests.”

Mayli nodded thoughtfully.  She had only once before, during her year of unpaid labor, to visit her family on Corellia.  She might just make some requests to worlds who were not covered mostly in sludge.

A while later, she shut down her ship, the Womp Rat One, in the cave near her and Obi-Wan’s home, secured the protection devices, and trudged up the hill, the first sunset shooting rich shades of orange across the sky.  As she approached the house, Obi-Wan, looking handsome as always in his simple white tunic and pants, walked out to greet her, wrapping her in his strong arms.  Neither said anything, they just held one another for some time before he led her into the house.

“I missed you, love,” he said.  “Caf?”

“Oh Obi, I missed you too,” she said, already starting to peel away her flight suit.  “Caf would be great, but I seriously need a shower.  Is there enough water?”

Obi-Wan walked into the back of their pantry, which also served as their central plumbing station, where the water from their various moisture devices made deposits.  “Enough for a soak and a rinse, if we pick up some extra stores in town tomorrow.” 

Mayli just nodded, and headed to the room, pulling her shirt off.  “Sorry, sweetheart, but Nal Hutta is…ugh.”

Slipping into their refresher, a small space with a sink, a latrine, and a shower, all built by the couple, the most challenging space of the house as they had to figure out plumbing, electrical being Mayli’s specialty, combat Obi-Wan’s.  But the space worked fine, the toilet only backed up once, and with minimal water, they mostly used the space for dry soap bathing.  But today, Mayli needed water.

She jumped in and turned on the flow, the water trickling over her body.  She quickly grabbed her sponge, doused it with her one luxury, Ithorian botanical soap, and shut off the water flow to conserve for rinsing.  She washed her hair before running the sponge along her body.

Mayli gasped suddenly, feeling a sudden rippling of energy over her body, as if hands were caressing her.  The energy moved and concentrated on her breasts, lightly teasing the tips of her nipples.  She let out an involuntary groan of pleasure, then almost slipped as the energy moved swiftly down to her more sensitive space.  The force found her clitoris and playfully swirled around the spot, sending an orgasmic euphoria through her.  Mayli cried out as she slipped on the suds, gripping both sides of the tiny shower.

“Obi-Wan,” she moaned.  “Just get in here.  Now!”

Laughing and smiling smugly, already completely naked, he opened the curtain and Mayli pulled him in, both now slipping and sliding, but regaining balance as Mayli pushed her body against his, kissing him hard.

“You know it’s not fair you can do that, use the Force,” she said, pulling away to look into his eyes, alight with desire. 

“Are you complaining?”

“Absolutely not,” she said, wrapping her hands around his erection, stroking him up and down, Obi-Wan throwing his head back and moaning, encouraging her movements. “I just wish sometimes I could do that to you.”

“Oh darling,” he said, squeezing her rear, his lips moving down to her neck as she touched him.  “I love what you do…I…ooohhh…I….” But Mayli stroked him harder with one hand, her nails of the other running along his back, getting wetter and ready for Obi-Wan as his panting became more pronounced.  She loved making him lose control, as he always seemed so proper.

Soap now covered him as well, and he kissed down her body, finally kneeling in front of her.  He licked the curves of her pelvis, his fingers finding her vaginal opening and sliding inside.  Mayli moaned more, starting to feel her climax build, Obi-Wan knowing just where to apply pressure.

“Ben!” she cried out, now needing him inside her desperately, wanting them to come together, craving that deep intimacy. 

Obi-Wan understood, and got to his feet, his eyes wild with desire.  Mayli leaped up to wrap her legs around his waist, and he brought her back against the tiny shower while, simultaneously moving his member into her.  She knew he again used the Force to keep balance, as the floor was slick, but he didn’t budge, thrusting hard into her, both hands on her breasts, mouth on hers.  They no longer kissed, but breathed into one another, giggling on occasion.  Mayli’s hands gripped his now sudsy hair.

She felt him harden even more and shudder within her, spilling his seed with a deep sigh.  The warmth, the hardness, Obi-Wan’s face buried in her neck as he groaned in pleasure brought Mayli to a deep climax, and she lost all track of herself as she gave into the moment, closing her eyes and calling out his name in a chant.  After a while, her orgasm subsided, and she opened her eyes to find him looking up at her, both now still, soap dripping to the bottom of the shower.

“I love you,” she whispered before kissing him.

“I love you,” he said.

They began to disengage from each other, but finally succumbed to the slipperiness of the situation and slid to the floor laughing.

“We should have built a bigger shower,” he said, getting to his feet and turning on the stream of water.

They both rinsed quickly, not knowing how long the water would last, needing to conserve for drinking as well.  Afterwards, Obi-Wan insisted on making dinner, allowing Mayli to lounge on their bed in her night shirt, reliving their intimacy with a smile on her face.  After their first crazy months together, hiding from then fighting a cult of Sith, then spending another several months building their home, they now seemed to be comfortable and at peace, just enjoying one another.  She hoped it would last forever, but she also knew the outside world, the outside galaxy, always found a way into peace and happiness.

A couple days later, Obi-Wan and Mayli walked down the streets of Mos Espa, their concert that evening, an opera performer from Coruscant.  Before lunch, Obi-Wan needed to make a withdrawal from the bank account in which Bail Organa made regular deposits.

Walking into the ramshackle structure, still one of the nicer buildings in town, Mayli pulled him to a stop.

“Listen, Ben, we don’t need to keep taking money from the senator,” she whispered.  “I make enough for us to be comfortable, and you get supplies by trading for labor at the neighboring homesteads.  We’re good.”

Obi-Wan shook his head and smiled.  While he, as a Jedi, never worried about money, he knew making her own was a matter of pride for Mayli.  But he also knew the importance of the account. 

“This is how we check in with one another,” he explained.  “Make sure the other one is okay.  If he keeps depositing and I keep withdrawing, well, we’re kind of saying hello to each other.”

Mayli nodded reluctantly.

“And you said yourself how nice it was to have a rich royal fund our monthly steak dinners,” laughed Obi-Wan, approaching the nearest teller and giving the account number to him.

The account set up by Bail and Obi-Wan before they parted went through multiple channels, but on Obi-Wan’s end looked like he collected a monthly pension from a mining company in the Corporate Sector.  Since his arrival on Tatooine, no trouble occurred when making withdrawals, and in recent months, with both Obi-Wan and Mayli working, they found they had extra funds for small luxuries.

But something was different today, Obi-Wan watching the eyes of the teller narrow as he looked at the holoscreen. 

“Is something wrong?” Obi-Wan finally asked.

“No…just different.  But so many things are these days,” he laughed.  “It seems your former employer has made the same total deposit, but divided it, unevenly I might add, between three accounts.  You now have two more accounts in your name, Mr. Kenobi.”

Obi-Wan felt baffled, not knowing what to say.  Why would Bail do this?

The teller chuckled.  “Probably another creative way to avoid those new Imperial banking regulations.”

“I’m sure that’s it,” Mayli said smiling, Obi-Wan thankful for her quick response as his mind still churned.  “They always put their employees first. Great place to work, right Ben?”

“Yes,” he responded, still distracted.  “Could you please let me know the numbers and amounts?”

“No problem.”

After loading Obi-Wan’s credit chip and entering the account numbers and credit amounts into his data pad, the couple emerged onto the street once again, Obi-Wan’s mind spinning.  What could this all mean?

Mayli pulled him into a nearby open market for the shade and grabbed his data pad, looking at the numbers.

“Did you and Bail ever discuss sending specific messages to each other?” she asked.

Obi-Wan thought back.  “No.  Just the deposits and withdrawals.  Just checking in with each other.”

“Because…” Mayli said, studying the numbers.  “I think he’s trying to talk to you.”

“What?”

“I think he sent you a message,” she said.  “This looks like a cypher.” Her eyes lit up.  “I think I can decode this!”

Obi-Wan felt his stomach drop.  While Mayli studied the numbers, a myriad of possible disasters went through his head.  Had something happened to Leia?  Did Vader know his children survived? 

No, no.  If something truly bad had happened, Bail would not have checked in.  But what was he trying to say?

Mayli began to laugh.  “This is the cypher used in that old children’s story, _The Hyperspace Dragon_.” She looked up at him smiling, expecting him to understand.

“ _The Hyperspace Dragon_?”

“Yes, you know, the fable about the little girl who makes friends with the giant lizard who can move about in the vacuum.  They save several Core planets from the invasion of the evil…you don’t know this story?  Seriously?” She looked at the baffled Obi-Wan.  “All kids are told the story, at least on the Core worlds.  It’s a popular fable, legend, several hundred years old.  And the girl and the dragon had a cypher they would use to communicate with each other.  In my early school years, my friends and I would write messages in Hyperspace Dragon to each other.”

Obi-Wan laughed at the ridiculousness of the story, but Mayli shrugged.

“Those Jedi didn’t raise you right,” she teased.  “You don’t even know how to speak Hyperspace Dragon.”

“But Bail would know I didn’t know…ah…Hyperspace Dragon,” Obi-Wan said, getting serious again.

“But he would know you were smart and could figure out this was a cypher.  And Hyperspace Dragon is one of the most popular numbers-based cyphers,” Mayli winked.  “He was banking on you not being an idiot.”

“Oh stop,” Obi-Wan said, snatching back his data pad.  “So, can we figure it out quickly?”

“Well, I haven’t used it in years, but I can download the story while we’re here in town and decipher it.  And also read you the story.  It’s one you should know if you’re going to be one of us regular folk.” She sighed, a whimsical look on her face.  “I remember my dad reading it to me.  I always wanted to read it to my own children.”  She looked thoughtfully down the road.  “Let’s see if we can connect in the general store.”

She ran down the road, leaving Obi-Wan to watch her before he left as well.  Without Mayli, he would not have known where to begin, probably taking a day or two before he figured out the numbers made a cypher.  Not for the first time he felt very grateful to have her by his side.

Mayli worked throughout the afternoon, only taking a break to attend the concert.  Before bed, she read the story to Obi-Wan, who smiled at her lively narration, remembering her earlier comment about reading it to her own children.  Obi-Wan found the story very entertaining and began to wonder what else he missed being raised Jedi.

The following evening after they returned home, Mayli worked on her data pad at their dining table, mumbling to herself, Obi-Wan trying not to pester her.  But the gnawing feeling in his stomach returned.  What would Bail say to him?  What was wrong?

“Ah ha!” cried Mayli, leaping up and running over to where Obi-Wan sat in their living room.  “Here is the message.”

_Everything fine but would like to speak with you directly.  Do not contact if unsafe.  Not an emergency. Plans._

Obi-Wan read the message through five times before looking up at Mayli.  _Not an emergency._ He felt a weight lifting from him, but now his curiosity was piqued.  _Plans_.  What could that mean?

“Plans,” Mayli said.  “Plans for the twins?”

Obi-Wan shrugged. 

“Plans to defeat the Empire?”

Obi-Wan shrugged again.  He knew from watching the holonews when they visited town that things were not going well with the Empire and some of the Core worlds.  While others simply rolled over, some, like Alderaan, put up a fight.

“I’ll go to Alderaan,” Mayli said, snapping Obi-Wan out of his thoughts.

“No!” he cried, standing up.  “You are absolutely not going to Alderaan.”

“How else are we going to contact the senator?” she said.  “Plus, Jabba does business there.  I could be sent there anyway.” She paused, thinking.  “My contact said I could make requests.  I could request Alderaan, or a nearby system, after I return from Nal Hutta.  I’ll go to the royal palace…I’ve seen it before…and…”

“No!” Obi-Wan now shouted at her, making her jump.  He rarely raised his voice, but the thought of his beloved Mayli entering into this mess created by Jedi negligence was too much for him.  “It is far too dangerous.”

“More dangerous than flying out to the Unknown Regions to rescue you from a space station full of Sith?” she yelled back, her arms folded, face red with anger.  “I can do this, Ben.  I blew up that station.  I work for Jabba the Hutt.  I’m a smuggler.  I’m not some desert flower.”

But she was, he thought.  She was his desert flower, the one thing in his life that was good, wonderful, kept him from going mad.

“You need to stay here and protect Luke,” she said quietly. 

Obi-Wan nodded, knowing he couldn’t leave Tatooine again, especially with the increased Imperial patrols.  And what if Vader suddenly decided to drop by his childhood home?  Would he be able to sense Obi-Wan and Luke?  He went to the Lars farm on a bi-monthly basis, checked from afar weekly, now seeing a toddler Luke from time to time walking behind Owen, smiling, laughing, not a care in the world. 

“This is the only way to speak with him,” Mayli continued.  “A transmission would be detected.”

Obi-Wan nodded again, knowing they did not have any communication devices in their home for a reason, and they used electricity very minimally through their solar panel.

“Ben,” she said softly, now standing in front of him, holding his face in her hands.  “I knew when I decided to stay with you that someday something like this would occur.  I suppose this is what happens when you love a Jedi.”

Obi-Wan couldn’t help but think about Padme and what happened when she loved a Jedi.

But Mayli continued.  “I’m strong, Obi-Wan.  Let me help.  And if you don’t let me…” she smiled at him.  “I’ll go anyway.”

Obi-Wan crushed her to him, holding her tightly for a long time, not able to say a word.

Two and a half weeks later, after another run to Nal Hutta and another week with Obi-Wan, Mayli stood on the ramp of her ship in the port near Jabba’s palace, where she picked up the goods to be taken to Kuat.  She’d requested a Core world from Jabba, stating she wanted to stop by to visit some friends on her way home.  The Hutt immediately granted her request, proving Mayli to be one of his favorites. 

The couple embraced, and Obi-Wan whispered in her ear, “Come back to me.”

“It’s just another run,” she whispered back, then kissed him softly on the lips, turned, and disappeared into the Womp Rat One.

Obi-Wan watched the ship until it broke the atmosphere and disappeared.  He sighed, turning to their landspeeder to head back home.

 

 


	2. Bail Organa

**Chapter Two**

**Bail Organa**

            Mayli reentered her ship after making the drop in Kuat, eager to get to Alderaan to meet with Senator Bail Organa.  After telling Obi-Wan she would be the contact between the two, she felt both fear and excitement. The latter feeling came from the fact that, after hearing Obi-Wan tell stories of his past life, she actually now got to be a part of it, in a way, meeting one of his old friends.

But the fear came from the moment she decoded the message, Mayli felt things were about to change.   She enjoyed her life with Obi-Wan immensely; in fact, their comfortable routine was actually what she always wanted, her being able to travel but still have a good man by her side.  She had both the independence she craved and the love and support she needed.  But what were these plans Organa mentioned?  Would they change everything?  Would Obi-Wan be snatched away from her to resume his role as General Kenobi?

Leaving the Kuat system, Mayli entered the hyperspace coordinates for Alderaan, wondering what she would encounter when she got there.  While she worried about the Imperials, she’d become quite the expert in dodging their attention since beginning work for Jabba, blending in, just another delivery freighter.  She actually felt a bit nervous about meeting with a royal.  She knew for Obi-Wan meeting with such sentients was no big deal – he’d guarded a Duchess, been friends with a Queen, dealt with the leadership of the galaxy for years.  Goodness, as a member of the Jedi counsel, he’d been a part of the leadership of the galaxy. But before working for Jabba, Mayli did deliveries for restaurants and scientists, so she hoped she would behave appropriately.  She’d worked out a plan with Obi-Wan on how to get in touch with Senator Organa, but nevertheless, felt a bit out of her league.  She’d mentioned this to Obi-Wan who simply gave her his charming smile, calling her the queen of his heart, the princess of his desert palace.  Of course his flattering led to him getting special intimate treatment that evening, and Mayli smiled at the memory.

The blue of hyperspace filled her vision, and she sat back, pondering the next few hours.  She hoped she would begin to feel a bit better.  Since leaving Tatooine three days before, she’d felt increasingly tired, not sleepy, but exhausted.  And now, staring at the waves of hyperspace passing her by, she felt a deep wave of nausea overtake her.  Leaping up and running from the cockpit, she barely made it to the refresher before she vomited into the toilet.

“Seriously?” she moaned as she sat on the floor.  How could she get sick before such an important meeting?  She’d be on Alderaan soon, the plan for her to stay no longer than a standard day in order to avoid detection. 

And how had she gotten sick?  She’d stopped getting space sickness years ago, as her life became living in the hyperlanes.  And colds and flues rarely spread on Tatooine, people living so far apart from each other. 

Slumping out of the refresher when she felt sure she wasn’t going to hurl again, she crawled onto her bed, curling up, willing the nausea to go away, wishing Obi-Wan was there to wrap her in his arms and run his fingers through her hair in his comforting way.  After a bit, a chiming sounded announcing the ship would soon be out of hyperspace.  Mayli took a moment to clean herself up, make herself look presentable, and headed back to the helm to pilot the Womp Rat One into Alderaan’s atmosphere.

Tired of pacing around their small home, nervously waiting for Mayli to return, Obi-Wan decided to head to the nearby oasis town of Water to pace nervously around there.  But after visiting the general store and browsing the droids the Jawas in the sandcrawler parked just outside of town were selling, Obi-Wan found little else to do but head into the cantina to order an ale and watch the latest sports news.

About half-way through his bottle, a loud rumbling brought everyone in the sparsely populated bar to their feet, and Obi-Wan followed the others outside.  At the end of town, an Imperial military transport parked near the oasis, and ten stormtroopers in their white armor, looking ridiculous in the Tatooine heat, poured out.  Having seen stormtroopers several times over the past year in the larger towns on planet, Obi-Wan grew used to the sight of them, the armor a modified design of the clone troopers he worked with so often.  Still, their presence in Water, a tiny, insignificant dot on the Tatooine landscape, worried Obi-Wan. 

“Why are they here?” asked a familiar voice next to him, and Obi-Wan turned to see Owen Lars, holding a box full of droid parts and gaping at the soldiers.

Obi-Wan shrugged as they both watched the stormtroopers march in formation down the center of the street, each carrying a bulky blaster.  The blasters Jabba issued to Mayli and her co-smugglers looked far more elegant and efficient, and Obi-Wan wondered where all the money the Empire took in taxes actually went in terms of military development.

A thought occurred to Obi-Wan, and he grabbed Owen’s arm.  “Is Luke…”

“Owen!” a woman cried from across the street, and Obi-Wan saw Beru Lars leave the general store, the small, blonde toddler Luke Skywalker holding her hand.  Before either Owen or Obi-Wan could move in her direction, one of the stormtroopers approached Beru and Luke. 

“Ma’am, have you and your household filled out the forms for the First Imperial Census?” Obi-Wan heard him say as the two men approached. 

“Yes, of course,” Beru said, pulling Luke behind her, the child smiling up at the trooper. 

“We filed everything, all our assets, titles, all of it,” Owen said, putting his arm around Beru and pulling her and his nephew away. 

“Have all members of your household been registered?” pressed the stormtrooper.  He nodded toward Luke.  “Even the children.  We need a registry for possible drafting purposes.”

“Drafting!” gasped Beru, now pulling Luke into her arms. 

“Yes, the Emperor seeks to ensure the safety of each citizen, and making sure our military…” he said, but stopped as Obi-Wan approached him.

“This family is already registered,” he said slowly.

The trooper nodded.  “They are already registered.”

“You don’t need to bother with them anymore,” Obi-Wan continued, gently prodding the mind of the trooper.

“I won’t bother you anymore,” the soldier said, then turned and joined the others who prowled the streets, looking for those who failed to fill out the census.

Obi-Wan escorted the couple and Luke to their landspeeder, looking back occasionally at the scene, seeing the stormtroopers head back to their transport quickly, most likely moving on to the next little village or homestead.  He turned to the family as they loaded their purchases, and Luke, into the vehicle.

“Listen, the Empire is getting stronger, reaching out further,” he said in a hushed tone.  “I think it would be wise to begin Luke’s training soon.  Most Jedi would start about his age.  First I need to see if he is Force-sensitive, but considering how powerful his father…”

He stopped, feeling a sudden hesitance coming from both Owen and Beru.  They shared a glance with one another, Obi-Wan feeling like they silently communicated about something they’d already discussed.

“Ben, we…we need to talk about Luke,” Beru said.

“What’s happened?” asked Obi-Wan, his voice a little higher than he wanted, but sudden panic filled him.  The sole reason he remained on Tatooine sat in the back of the landspeeder before him.  If not for Luke, he’d be in the hyperlanes with Mayli.

“We’re just not sure about…about him training with you,” Beru said. 

“That’s not a decision for you to make,” Obi-Wan said firmly but immediately wishing he hadn’t.

Beru glared daggers at the Jedi.  “Oh really?  You entrusted Anakin’s child to us to raise.  You are not raising him, caring for him on a daily basis.  You stop by every other month to check he’s okay.  And now you want to make a soldier of him, just like that trooper?”

Obi-Wan could not believe what he was hearing.  He had to begin training Luke, been making plans for months, excitedly talking to Mayli over meals.  No, Beru would not stop him.

“Beru, I don’t think you understand,” he began, but Owen interrupted.

“Ben, we’re leaving.  We’re a little shaken up by what just happened, all of us.  Let’s talk at a later time,” Owen said, getting into the landspeeder, nodding for the angry Beru to do the same.  “Stop by in a week or two.  And bring Mayli to dinner again.  We always find her a delight.”

And just like that, the landspeeder moved off into the desert, leaving Obi-Wan standing outside Water now worried about the future of the Jedi as well as Mayli and her visit to Alderaan.  Feeling anger beginning to build inside him, he returned to the cantina and his ale, trying to stave off his negative emotions by focusing on a story about the newest playboy pod racer about to hit it big.  But after watching an interview with the arrogant young man, Obi-Wan felt reminded of Anakin, and he slid off the barstool and out the door, walking toward his own landspeeder.  On the way home, he did something he hadn’t done in while, something Mayli taught him not long after they first met – he shouted his frustrations into the desert.  By the time he arrived back home, he felt more sad than angry, a sense of defeat about how little he held control over.  He found solace in talking with Sniff the eopie as the twin suns set.

Mayli felt nauseous again as she approached the palace, certain now nerves added to her illness.  But she squared her shoulders and willed the feeling away, approaching the beautiful structure through a small, inelegant door, the offices of Senator Organa.   She entered a sparsely decorated office, a couple of comfortable chairs before a desk of dark wood.  Seated at the desk, a lone young man looked expectantly at the door.  He smiled pleasantly as Mayli entered.

“Welcome to the office of Senator Bail Organa,” he said, rising to take Mayli’s hand.  “Do you have an appointment?”

“Um…well, no,” Mayli answered in hesitation.  “But I really need to see the senator.  He…he would be expecting me.”

“I’m sorry, but the senator is a busy man and…”

“He would want to see me,” Mayli interrupted, keeping her voice level and cheerful, although she just wanted to push the young man aside and walk into the palace.  “Please tell him I come with best wishes from an old friend.  An old friend from the Clone Wars, one who also has a fondness for the Hyperspace Dragon.”

Organa’s secretary stared at her, baffled.  Finally, he shrugged and walked into the nearby hall.  Mayli heard his voice in the distance call to someone, “C3PO, watch the front while I go get the senator.”

A golden protocol droid entered and stood behind the desk.

“Oh, hello,” he said in a formal voice. 

“Hi.”

“Are you waiting to see the senator?”

“Yes,” said Mayli, feeling a bit woozy again, not wishing to engage in conversation.

“May I interest you in a beverage?”

“No, thank you,” Mayli answered, wringing her hands anxiously.  What if Senator Organa did not understand her greeting? 

“May I offer you a light snack?” continued the droid.

Ugh, food.  “No, I really…”

The young man reentered.  “Senator Organa will see you in his office now.  Right this way.”

Thankful to leave behind the pushy droid, Mayli followed the secretary down the hall.  Opening the door at the end, he gestured her into a room before closing the door behind her.  Mayli turned to find Senator Bail Organa standing in the center of another simple office, this one a bit larger with a window facing the palace gardens.  He looked even more regal in person than on the holonews, tall, dark, and handsome, wearing beautiful fabrics in rich colors.

“Who sent you?” he said, eyeing her up and down, making Mayli feel more nervous and ill, bile rising in her throat.  She thought of Obi-Wan and felt a bit better.

Mayli looked around the office, afraid to speak any more.  She remembered Obi-Wan’s paranoia in the past about listening devices.  The subtle elegance of the room, plush carpet, simple but delicately carved desk, made her feel self-conscious, standing before such a galaxy leader in her best, but still rather worn, flight suit.

But the senator seemed to realize what she was thinking.

“This room is safe, no surveillance,” he said, sounding a bit kinder.  “Please speak freely.”

She cleared her throat.  “I come from Obi-Wan Kenobi…or Ben, as he’s known on Tatooine.”

Organa nodded.  “Prove to me you know him, that you didn’t just intercept my message.”

Obi-Wan predicted this and gave Mayli a story to tell.  “Several years ago, you were at a fundraising event with several other leaders, and many Jedi were running security.  While Obi-Wan stood nearby, you spilled some mustard on your sash.  Obi-Wan said you began to panic, as you needed to give a speech in five minutes, and you turned to him, asking for help.  He told you to turn the damn thing inside out.”

As she told the story, a slow smile spread across the senator’s face.  He nodded, and extended his hand toward Mayli.  “Welcome…?”

“Mayli.”

“Mayli,” he said, guiding her to a nearby sofa and sitting beside her.  “And how do you know Obi-Wan…um, Ben?”

Mayli could feel herself blushing.  Did Obi-Wan want others to know about him and Mayli?  Would they be disappointed that he broke the Jedi Code?  “We’re…ah…friends.”

But she could tell Senator Organa knew the truth by the way he raised his eyebrows and grinned slyly.  As a politician, he could probably read her like a book.  “Friends?  Well, I’m glad good ol’ Kenobi has made a…friend.  And such a lovely one as well.”

Mayli knew she colored as deeply crimson as that Sith blade with which Obi-Wan occasionally practiced combat stances.  Oh well, might as well be honest.  “Yes, we’ve been together for over two years.  I work as a pilot for Jabba the Hutt.”

Organa’s face beamed even brighter.  “A pilot?” 

“Yes, I worked as a delivery pilot before…well, bad circumstances.  I sought refuge on Tatooine, met Ben, and…that’s my home…our home now,” she said.

Organa’s face dropped slightly.  “Please Mayli, tell me of Obi-Wan.  What’s life like for him now?  We were friends, you know.” He paused, deep sadness overtaking his face.  “I lost…well, you have to understand, I lost so many friends that day.”

Mayli told him about her and Obi-Wan’s life together, how he worked the local farms and she flew contraband, his plans for training Luke, the various adventures they went on throughout their time on the desert world.  She told him about the Sith Scholars and her and Obi-Wan destroying the cult, with the exception of one, Jac, who never showed back up on Tatooine.  She neglected to reveal about Obi-Wan’s brush with the Dark Side and him opening the Sith holocron.  She wanted to keep his weaknesses private, knowing he still felt ashamed that even Mayli saw him at his lowest point.

“And Ben…and myself… would love to know about you,” she smiled when finished.  “I feel I know you from his stories.  And Leia?  How is she?”

Organa chuckled deeply, a pleasant sound in Mayli’s ears.  “Leia is…perfect.  I go off to Coruscant to the puppet senate, deal with frustrations galore.  I’m sure you’ve seen on the holonews.”

Mayli nodded.  She and Obi-Wan kept up-to-date, checking the latest whenever they went into town. 

“But I come home to my wife and daughter and…” he smiled wistfully.  “Sometimes when I’m walking the grounds with them or reading Leia a story, it’s like the rest of the galaxy doesn’t exist.  Oh, and _The Hyperspace Dragon_ is her favorite.”

Mayli listened as Organa told more about Leia, his wife, the household, trying to lock each word in her memory to tell an eager Obi-Wan later. 

After his story, he suddenly jumped up with a flourish and walked over to his desk, pulling a small square device, no larger than his hand, from the drawer.  Returning to the seat, he handed it to Mayli.

“Now I suppose you are wondering about the plan mentioned in the message,” he said. 

Mayli nodded.

“I know you’ve seen pockets of rebellion against the Empire, various planets and groups rising up,” he said.

“Yes,” Mayli said in a whisper, her heart starting to beat quickly.

“But they are dislocated.  Small packs of rebels make small impacts, localized to their own systems,” he said, excitedly meeting Mayli’s eyes.  “But if these groups were to communicate with one another, coordinate events…well, then a larger impact against the Empire, an organized rebellion, can begin.”

“And this device is…?”

“Communication is the beginning, Mayli,” Organa said.  “I am working with a couple other senators to start this movement against the Empire, but we have to be discrete.  We have some excellent slicers who developed these devices.  When set anywhere on a planet’s surface, they will communicate with others in neighboring systems.  Basically, we want to create a galaxy-wide communications array, right under the nose of the Empire.”

Mayli grinned at the tiny device as Organa outlined more of the plan, stating the devices could be destroyed from afar, could not be detected, and worked in a code far deeper and more complex than Hyperspace Dragon. 

“Essentially, I would like Obi-Wan to coordinate efforts in distribution of these devices and linking together the various rebel groups in his sector of the galaxy.  I understand the importance of him remaining on Tatooine, for Luke and the future of the Jedi Order, but if things turn a different direction, then he would easily be set up to resume the role of General Kenobi,” he paused, seeing the look of worry that flashed across Mayli’s face, one she tried to hide.  “If he wants to, of course.” He placed a hand on Mayli’s, startling her from her study of the device.  “Mayli, I cannot tell you how happy I am to see Obi-Wan found a good life in all this mess.  Of all the people I’ve known, he’s made the most sacrifice for the greater good, and he deserves happiness, a full life.”

“I can deliver them,” she said before thinking things through.  But she knew she wanted to, longed to help Obi-Wan push back against the Empire that destroyed nearly everything and everyone he knew.

Organa looked at her for a long time before speaking.  “Please stay with us this evening, Mayli.  Dine with my wife and daughter.  Tomorrow we’ll make sure several of these devices are on your ship, and we can begin by starting the link between Alderaan and Tatooine.”

Mayli nodded, and they both rose.  Dizziness washed over her, and she stumbled, Organa catching her.

Embarrassed, Mayli righted herself, trying to laugh it off.  “Sorry.  I haven’t been feeling too well.  I got a bit sick on the way here from Kuat.”

“I’ll have C3P0 guide you to our medical wing before showing you to a room,” Organa said.  “Space sickness?”

Mayli just shrugged as Organa guided her to the door.

“You know, Mayli, you are exactly the type of woman I would choose for Obi-Wan,” Organa laughed.  “I never thought I’d say those words, about Obi-Wan Kenobi.  But in all seriousness, you are a good match for him.  Brave and intelligent.  He is truly lucky.”

Mayli felt herself redden again at his comments.  “Thank you,” she managed, his words making her feel a little better.

After enduring the eager C3PO’s speech on the history of the Alderaan palace medical wing on the way to see the physician, Mayli felt grateful when the droid got called away on other business.  The main physician, a young, enthusiastic woman who introduced herself as Lena, told Mayli to take a seat on the table.

“Just got a message from the senate office saying one of Bail’s pilots is ill,” she said.  “What’s wrong?”

Mayli told her what happened, realizing she had not been to any sort of medical appointment in years.  Aside from the occasional cold or stomach ache, she remained in good health.

“All right,” Lena said.  “Let’s just do a quick check up.”

Lena did the usual checks of Mayli’s different systems, listening to her heart, checking her throat and glands.

Making notes on her data pad, Lena looked puzzled.  “Everything seems fine.  Hmmm…when was your last menstruation?”

“Let’s see, it was…” Mayli began, but froze.  She couldn’t remember.  She hadn’t menstruated recently, and in the excitement of Senator Organa’s message, hadn’t noticed.  She should have…

Then, memories came flooding back to Mayli as a sudden realization overtook her.  During her first run to Nal Hutta, weeks ago, her data pad alarm reminder to take her monthly birth control supplement chimed.  She’d forgotten the medication at home, so she turned off the alarm, knowing she’d remember when she returned to Tatooine.  Only…she hadn’t.  She’d gotten home a couple days later, feeling gross from the swamp world, jumping in the shower, Obi-Wan joining her…

And how many times had they been together since?  They’d both been quite frisky lately.   Mayli pulled out her data pad and saw the alarm to take the next dose of the supplement would chime tomorrow.

She looked up to the waiting Lena.

“I think…I think I might be pregnant,” she said, not believing the words coming out of her mouth.

Lena smiled broadly.  “Ohhhh…how wonderful.  Let’s see.”

A quick blood test later, Lena grinned even brighter.  “Yes, looks like you are about three weeks along.  Makes sense to feel a bit ill.  A lot of human women tend to get a bit sick at this point.”

Mayli simply stared at the ground, having trouble processing this change of events.  She was pregnant, with Obi-Wan’s baby.  What would he think?  Would he be angry?  If he had broken the Code before, this had to be shattering it completely.  And it was her fault, her negligence.

Lena broke the silence.  “Do you have a regular partner?”

Mayli looked up, the sound of the physician’s voice seeming to wake her.  “Yes…we live together.  Have for a while…a couple of years.”

“I take it this is not planned,” Lena continued, keeping her voice soft.  Something they probably trained her to do in medical school, when patients seemed distraught, Mayli thought.

But the feelings of dismay she felt initially now gave way to excitement and joy.  She’d been thinking more and more about children, remembered mentioning to Obi-Wan longing to read their child _The Hyperspace Dragon_.  She imagined holding a tiny baby, Obi-Wan’s blue eyes looking back at her.  And then she saw an image of Obi-Wan himself holding the child, his handsome smile making the baby laugh.  And him leading the slightly older child around their homestead on the back of Sniff.  The three of them watching the suns set. She considered Obi-Wan and her as a family for years now, and they would be adding to their home in the most wonderful way possible.

Overwhelmed suddenly, Mayli placed her hand over her fast beating heart, tears now falling down her cheeks.  She began to laugh hard, uncontrollably.  When she regained some composure, she looked up at Lena who smiled back at her.

“Moments like this make my work worth it,” Lena said.  “But first we need to make sure you are healthy and have the right…”

A young man entered the medical office, looking panicked.  “Lena, the palace is going into lockdown.”

            “What?  Why?”

            “Another Imperial inspection, unscheduled.  Senator Organa wants everyone in their quarters,” the man said, terrified.  “And…Darth Vader is with them.”

            Lena gasped, and the young man dashed away. 

            Mayli stared after him, thoughts of the baby gone and replaced by both fear and curiosity.  Darth Vader…Anakin Skywalker.  Obi-Wan’s friend and student.  Mayli realized she was probably one of the few people in the galaxy who knew Darth Vader’s true identity.

            Then the fear hit.  He was here, in the palace!

            Lena grabbed Mayli and the two women dashed from the medical wing. 

            “I’ll take you to the room the senator assigned you.  Stay there, do not leave under any circumstances.  We can talk after the inspection,” Lena said as they moved quickly through the palace, passing other employees looking both afraid and determined.  Mayli guessed they’d practiced and used this protocol before.

            Soon, Mayli found herself in the wing occupied by the family, in an elegant guest room.  But she hardly noticed the refresher with gold fixtures, the canopy bed with the beautiful hand-stitched quilt featuring the Alderaan crest, or the antique, yet comfortable-looking furniture.  She walked slowly toward the window, pulling back the curtains to look outside.

            Her room faced outside the palace, the view a small landing strip most likely used by the senator and his family for their private transport.  But now an Imperial yacht sat parked, the ramp just being lowered and a smattering of stormtroopers emerging.  Senator Organa stood in wait, and finally, the black-cloaked figure of Darth Vader came down the ramp.  Even from a distance, she saw the familiar hilt of a lightsaber hanging from his side.  He stood tall and menacing, half-man, half-machine.  Mayli remembered the story of Obi-Wan’s battle with Anakin, what happened that required him to be completely encased in metal.  But she felt no pity, remembering his crimes, the children he’d killed.

            Children!  What about Leia?  Would he sense her?  Obi-Wan told Mayli Jedi could sense those close to them, that Obi-Wan knew Mayli’s Force signature by heart.  Would Vader be able to sense his daughter?

            Instinctively, Mayli placed a hand on her stomach.  And what about her child, her and Obi-Wan’s, growing inside her?  Would the Sith be able to detect that small bit of his former master?

            Mayli stared transfixed at the scene, Vader talking with Organa, and she admired how the tall senator, now dwarfed by the frightening Vader, seemed to hold his own.  Then Organa began to lead the group into the palace, and while the stormtroopers followed, she saw Vader pause.  He then turned, tilted his head up, and looked directly at Mayli. Closing the curtains quickly, Mayli backed away from the window and sat on the bed, feeling as ice cold as a winter’s day on Hoth.

 

 


	3. Child of a Jedi

**Chapter Three**

**Child of a Jedi**

            Mayli lay on the bed in the Alderaan royal palace, hardly daring to breath for fear of being heard.  Still, silence filled her wing of the castle, where the family lived.  She wondered if Breha, Organa’s wife, and Leia, hid in a nearby room.  And she feared Darth Vader, who seemed to look directly at her upon his arrival, would seek her out.

            An hour passed, and Mayli now found her mind wondering to her pregnancy, unexpected but thrilling nonetheless.  If she got out of this predicament and returned to Tatooine, how would Obi-Wan take the news?  They’d occasionally talked about children, but in a causal, sometimes nonsensical way, like “if I had a son, he would never…” or “the perfect name for a girl would be…”  But now, this was real and something Mayli realized she wanted with Obi-Wan all along.

            Mayli started to consider the logistics of the situation.  They’d need to build another room onto their home, maybe a bigger refresher.  And she’d need to acquire a physician on Tatooine.  She’d probably need to take a couple weeks off from work, so she would have to speak with Jabba.

            A quiet knock on her door sounded, and she leaped up, looking around the room for a possible weapon.  Ah ha, a sharp metal poker next to the fireplace.  She picked it up and cautiously opened the door.

            Senator Organa stood on the other side, his eyes wide at the sight of Mayli with the weapon.  He then broke into a gentle chuckle.

            “Again, the perfect woman for Obi-Wan,” he laughed.  “May I come in?”

            Sitting across from Organa in the small but comfortable seating area, Mayli saw the senator looked exhausted, his handsome face a bit fallen.

            “The Imperial inspection went well,” he began.  “But I didn’t expect Vader.  This is the third time he’s come, although we’re inspected almost monthly.”  He paused, taking a weary breath.  “Sometimes I think he comes here because he knows.  Or maybe he just feels something.”  Another sigh.  “I don’t know.  We keep Leia out of sight along with the two droids that belonged to him.  You met C3PO already.”

            Mayli nodded, finally connecting the golden protocol droid to stories Obi-Wan told. 

            Organa looked up with a mischievous grin on his face.  “You and Obi-Wan wouldn’t by any chance need a protocol droid.  Threepio is very useful…”

            “And obnoxious.  No, we’re good.  Thanks anyway,” smiled Mayli.

            Organa shook his head.  “Had to try.  I sometimes feel Obi-Wan got the easier end of this deal.”

            Mayli thought about the distraught and broken Obi-Wan, the one she first met, the one damaged from his battle with Anakin and the loss of his way of life.  But she said nothing and just shrugged. 

            “Dinner will be in an hour.  Just my wife, daughter, you and me,” he said.  “But I do need to tell you, my wife does not know Leia to be Anakin’s daughter, the child of a Jedi.  In fact, you and I are the only two that know in the palace. The fewer people the better.” He stood to leave.  “I have my slicers loading the devices onto your ship, but I think the priority is establishing a link between my team and you and Obi-Wan first.  Then we can plan the other drops together.  I already have someone distributing in other parts of the galaxy.”  He rose, starting to leave.  “See you in an hour in the dining room?”

            “Um…yes, but I may need to go back to my ship to change and…”

            Organa regarded her up and down.  “Are you comfortable in that?”

            Mayli looked down at her flight suit.  Yes, she was comfortable.  In fact, she wore one of her favorites.  “Yes, but your wife is a queen and…”

            Organa shook his head and laughed.  “Who most of the time wears slacks and a tunic in order to chase Leia around.  You are fine, Mayli.”

            And he left, but some of his words echoed in her head.  Leia, the child of a Jedi.  Once again she placed her hands on her stomach.  She now carried the child of a Jedi.  And what would that Jedi think?

            Used to the rather bland food of Tatooine, relishing her and Obi-Wan’s monthly tradition of a steak dinner, the meal with the Organas was quite possibly the best she had in years.  And the conversation was lively, Breha a pleasant and humorous hostess, a good match for her husband. 

            Mayli found herself engaging in broken conversation with Leia frequently, much to the delight of the senator and his wife.  Leia asked why she wore her hair down, to which Mayli answered she enjoyed having it down in a place it didn’t stick to the back of her neck from sweat.  Leia asked who was Mayli’s best friend, and she replied a boy named Ben.  Leia responded that boys were kind of gross, and her best friend was Winter, a young girl who recently came to live at the palace.  Leia then told Mayli about all the adventures her and Winter had around the grounds.

            Watching the excited and happy Leia, Mayli remembered having dinner with the Lars family, sitting at a table much less fancy but still filled with love.  Despite the tragedy of their parents, both Luke and Leia ended up in good homes filled with warmth and caring.   

            Breha knew about her husband’s involvement in organizing a rebellion, and following dinner and Leia’s bedtime, the three sat and discussed over dessert, Mayli marveling over the efforts already underway.  She knew Obi-Wan would be proud of his friend.

            The next morning, Mayli stood outside her ship, bidding farewell to the Organas.

            “I cannot wait to begin chatting with Ben,” the senator said.  “My code name is Dragon.  I’ll think of one for him as well.”

            Mayli nodded and smiled.  “You know, he’d never read that story, _The Hyperspace Dragon_.  I had to find a copy for him.”

            “Really?  Well, I’m glad he had you and…”

            “Mayli!” came a voice from the palace, and Lena came running from the doors to the family’s landing pad, on which just the previous afternoon Darth Vader stood.  “I put together a pack of supplements for you, some things to help with the nausea, and enough prenatal vitamins to last through your pregnancy.  Oh, and contact information for an excellent physician in your sector, but I would love for you to come see me again and…”

            Breha gasped.  “You’re pregnant?  Oh, how wonderful!” She laughed.  “No wonder you refused the wine last night.  Nobody ever refuses Alderaanian wine, but a baby is an excellent reason.”

            The queen grabbed Mayli in a tight embrace, and over her shoulder, Mayi caught Organa’s face.  His eyes wide, mouth gaping open, utterly shocked.  But soon the shock transformed into broad, highly amused smile.

            “When did you learn this?” he asked when his wife let Mayli go.

            “Um, yesterday when I went to the medical wing,” Mayli answered, again blushing in front of Organa.  Something about that charming and handsome senator…

            “So…Ben doesn’t know?”

            “No.”

            Organa began to laugh.  “Oh, this is…is…fantastic.  Now hurry off.  I really cannot wait to speak to him now.”

            Breha playfully slapped her husband on the arm.  “Bail, stop teasing her!”

            “It’s fine,” said Mayli.  “I’m not sure...well, I’m not sure how he’s going to take it.”

            Organa’s face became thoughtful.  “Obi-W…Ben, he…he was a dedicated member of the Order, the Council,” he began, Mayli noticing his use of vague nouns while in public, although she felt certain many of his staff knew of his underground actions.  “But personally, I always thought some of their rules, including those about family, to be a bit too…stiff.  Honestly, I think it may have been at the root of a lot of the problems within the Order.  And he seems to be realizing that now, being with you.  With his compassion, I can see him being an excellent father.” Organa’s face lit up again in a broad smile.  “I just wish I could see his reaction.”

            Mayli sighed heavily and rolled her eyes in spectacular fashion, making the couple laugh.  She enjoyed them, their humor, that despite being in the face of such adversity, they kept their house filled with love and laughter, much like her and Obi-Wan.  She hoped to raise their child in such a positive environment.

            Hitting the outer atmosphere and readying the hyperdrive, Mayli felt her hands shaking as she handled the controls.  While Senator Organa laughed, and Mayli knew most people would find the situation amusing, Mayli felt nervous about Obi-Wan’s reaction.  Yes, he’d been a dedicated Jedi, a leader amongst them.  But he often talked about the faults with the Jedi, as Organa mentioned, things that needed changing with the start of a new Jedi Order.  But becoming a father…

            Well, one way to find out his reaction, thought Mayli, punching the ship into hyperspace.  And Alderaan being quite a distance from Tatooine, she had plenty of time to think.

            Obi-Wan lounged on the sofa in his living room, reading children’s stories on his data pad, several he’d downloaded on his last trip to Water, before the incident with the stormtrooper and the Lars family.  After Mayli’s teasing about his ignorance over _The Hyperspace Dragon_ and other things he missed “growing up Jedi,” he felt he had some catching up to do.  And the delightful nature of the tales distracted him from a frustrating morning.

            Waking before the suns rose, he practiced combat routines with the Sith bowstaff before returning to his usual blade.  He then meditated for two hours, his goal to summon Qui-Gon, desperately needing to speak with someone about the Lars’ concerns over Obi-Wan training Luke.  The anger in Beru’s eyes, claiming he wanted to turn Luke into a warrior, just like the Empire, haunted him, possibly because she was right.  And was that all Obi-Wan was…a warrior?

            Qui-Gon never showed up, and Obi-Wan slunk into the house to clean up, eat, and do his daily chores.  Now, in the heat of the afternoon, after reading several fairy tales, he felt a little sleepy, and he put his data pad aside and drifted off.    

            The sound of a ship snapped Obi-Wan from his nap, and he leaped off the sofa and out the door.  The Womp Rat One moved into the underground cave, and as Obi-Wan descended the hillside on the path they’d built, eager to see his love, he saw her emerge from the makeshift garage, her platinum blonde mane of long hair flowing behind her in the soft desert breeze.  The sight made him pause, and he simply stood admiring her.  When they’d first met, she sported shorter hair streaked in various colors, part of her disguise, but now, years later, she wore it natural.  He loved when it flowed down, framing her smiling face, as she often put it up in the desert heat.  He loved falling asleep and waking up with the silky locks on his face.  He loved…

            Mayli now stopped on her ascent up the hill and stared at him.  They stood looking at one another, yards apart, and a sudden ripple in the Force struck him.  Something was different.

            But Mayli’s face broke into a wide smile, and they hurried to meet each other, embracing. 

            “I have so much to tell you,” she said, her voice laced with excitement and…something else.  Something Obi-Wan couldn’t place.  She seemed a bit…nervous.

            “What happened?” he demanded, wanting to know everything.  He guided her into the house and back to the sofa.  “Wait, I’m sorry…you’ve had a long flight.  I’ll fix you a cup of caf.”

            He stood to go to the kitchen, but Mayli pulled his arm.  “No caf.  Unless we have some without caffeine.”

            “You told me caf without caffeine is a crime against sentients everywhere,” Obi-Wan chuckled, trying to keep his worry at bay.

            “True, true,” she laughed, then shuffled nervously in her seat.  “Water.  Just water.”

            Obi-Wan got them both drinks and returned to the living room, leaning forward.  “So, did you meet with Bail?”

            Mayli nodded.  “Yes, yes, yes.  That would be a good place to begin,” she said, seeming to talk more to herself than to Obi-Wan.

            Obi-Wan listened as Mayli told him about the communication devices. 

            “And I offered to drop them off, make it part of my runs for Jabba,” she said, smiling in pride.

            Obi-Wan physically bit his tongue, trying to keep from arguing.  “And Leia?”

            He listened as Mayli spoke of her dinner with the Organas, feeling a pang of jealousy that he could not leave Tatooine to see his friend.  But when Mayli mentioned the Imperial inspection, and seeing Darth Vader, his insides turned to stone.

            “You…you saw Anakin?” he whispered.

            She nodded and shuddered.  “And…and he seemed to look directly at me.  Notice me.  I just wondered if he sensed my connection with you.  And it made me worried about Leia.  Would he sense her?”

            Obi-Wan shook his head.  “There is nothing connecting the two of us, Mayli.  At least that he would detect.” He knew that was the sole reason they’d never gotten officially married, keeping his identity secret, no public records.

            “I think maybe…” she began.  “Okay…I have something else to tell you.”

            The way she sat up straight and squared her shoulders told him enough; this was important.

            But then she fell silent, looking at him, biting her lip.

            “What is it, darling?” he said softly. 

            “I got sick between Kuat and Alderaan,” she began.

            “Are you alright?  Do you need…” but he stopped when she raised a hand to silence him.

            “So after I met with the senator, I went to see the palace physician,” she continued, her voice getting quieter and quieter as she spoke.  “And she ran some tests. And…”

            She froze again.  Obi-Wan’s heart felt like ice.  Was Mayli ill?  Contracted some terrifying disease while on one of her runs?  Oh that dreadful world of Nal Hutta always had something nasty in the air and…

            “And…I’m pregnant.”

            All thoughts of Bail, Vader, illness, everything disappeared from Obi-Wan’s mind.  He stared at Mayli.

            “I’m sorry…what did you say?” he said, thinking he misheard.

            “I’m pregnant,” she said with finality, shrugged, and looked at him expectantly.

            Obi-Wan gaped at her, his mouth hanging open, knowing he probably looked like an idiot, but he simply couldn’t find words.  Pregnant?

            “So…” he said finally, clearing his throat.  “You’re pregnant.  With a baby…pregnant.  You’re going to have a baby?”

            Mayli’s face softened, and she smiled gently.  “Yes.  _We’re_ going to have a baby.”

            Obi-Wan continued to just stare, arranging the words she’d spoken over and over again in his head.

            “Um…you…me…I…baby?” he stammered.  He simply couldn’t seem to put thoughts together.  What was she telling him?

            Mayli looked worried and began wringing her hands.  “I forgot to take the birth control supplement when I was on Nal Hutta last month and came home and…well, we did it a lot.” She laughed shakily.  “Well, we do have sex quite a bit…and it could’ve happened anyway…and…and…” She became silent again.

            “I’m…going…I’m going to be a father,” he said slowly, finding putting together a complete sentence an accomplishment.  But when he’d spoken the words aloud, he felt the weight of the meaning.  A father!  He was going to be a father!  Something he’d never planned, something he never dreamed…well, until he met Mayli and settled down with her as his family.  He’d be lying if he said he never thought about it with her.  Even that afternoon, reading the children’s tales, he wondered how nice it would be to read them aloud, doing different character voices, to a child.  But his own child?  A baby Kenobi?

            Obi-Wan found himself standing and pacing around the room, thoughts flooding his mind.  But he was a Jedi Master, on the Counsel….that didn’t exist anymore.  And he’d already broken the Code of attachment…so what?  Even his master, who he now wanted to speak with more than ever, didn’t seem concerned about Obi-Wan straying.

            But a child?  Obi-Wan as a father?  He surprisingly felt nothing but joy.  He and Mayli created a life!  A true blessing of the Living Force, which he now followed after Qui-Gon’s tutelage the past two years.  Mayli and his combined forces, their love…their frequent physical love…created something new.  He was going to be a father!  He had so many things to teach a child, so many things he wanted to do.  And Mayli, her humor, her talents…they both had so much to offer.  And if that child lucked out and got her looks…

            Now grinning broadly, but still unable to speak, he turned to Mayli, shocked to see her frowning, large tears falling down her cheeks.  Of course, he hadn’t said anything! He dashed over, kneeled before her, and pressed his lips to hers in a deep kiss, her tears making the kiss salty.

            He stopped kissing her and moved his head down her body, placing the side of his face against the area of her navel.  He reached out with the Force and mere moments later found the child.  He gasped, the life a strange but beautiful blend of him and Mayli.  He looked up at Mayli who looked down at him, crying even more, but smiling.  He met her lips again and ran his hands through her warm, soft hair. 

            “Thank you,” he whispered in her ear, finally finding words again.

            “Thank you,” she answered, her voice thick from crying.  “Are you happy?”

            Obi-Wan faced her again, pressing his forehead against hers.  “Yes.  More than I ever thought possible.  You?”

            “Yes,” she whispered, and she pulled him to her in an embrace.

They quietly cried into one another for a long time.

Later that evening, Obi-Wan lay in bed beside Mayli.  After recovering from the joyful shock of her announcement, he fixed her dinner and listened as she recounted in detail her visit to Alderaan.  He groaned a bit when he discovered Bail knew about the child.  He expected some teasing from the senator when they first set up the device.  Mayli shared several ideas as to where on Tatooine to hide the communicator, and as he cleared the table, he noticed her head dropping slightly and sent her to bed.  He crawled in with her a bit later, Mayli out cold from her travels, Obi-Wan wide awake.

While he passingly thought of Bail’s plan and the impending rebellion, images of his child filled his mind, and he grinned from ear to ear.  But something occurred to him.

“Mayli?” he whispered.

She snored.

“Mayli?” he said louder.

“What?” she mumbled.

“We need to add another room to our home.  For the baby,” he said, drawing up a blueprint in his head, although he knew Mayli had more skill in such matters.  They should begin planning now.

“Okay,” she said, flopping over.  In seconds, her breathing became deeper, indicating sleep.

And schooling?  They would have to tutor him or her at home, but what about skills neither Obi-Wan nor Mayli possessed.

What if he or she was Force sensitive?  Why hadn’t he thought of this before? 

“Mayli?”

Snoring.

“Mayli?” he shouted.

“What?!” she said, sitting up suddenly.  “For goodness sake, Obi-Wan, I am exhausted.”

“Yes, but what if the baby is Force sensitive?”

“Then the baby is Force sensitive,” she said, turning away from him, fluffing her pillow, and lying back down.

“You know, one of the reasons the Jedi forbade procreation was the development of dynasties of Force users,” Obi-Wan explained.  “That kind of power could be dangerous.”

“I’m sure you and our child will avoid taking over the galaxy,” mumbled Mayli.  “Plus, you might not make it to raise that little Jedi, if you keep waking me up.”

Obi-Wan laughed.  “But there is so much to consider, to talk about, to plan.  I’m going to be a father.” He smiled up at the ceiling, picturing the baby in his arms.  “At the general store in Water I saw a crib for sale.  Or we could ask Owen and Beru…” he paused, remembering he needed to tell Mayli about the argument in Water.  “We’ll need to install another vaporator.  A bigger refresher too and…”

“Ben!” Mayli shouted, sitting up and glaring at him, her hair messed up, eyes blazing in the dark.  “Never mind about the baby.  It’s not yours.  I’ve been having an affair with Jabba for the past year and…”

“Jabba…ew!” said Obi-Wan, then laughed.  He did hope the child got Mayli’s sense of humor.  “I’m sorry, love.  I’m just excited.”

Mayli lie back down, now facing him, her hand on the side of his face, caressing his beard.  “I am too.  But I’m only a couple of weeks along.  We have months to plan.”  She kissed his nose, then snuggled in against his chest.  “Now shut up and sleep, sweet man.”

Obi-Wan held Mayli in silence, listening to her breathing, once again reaching out with the Force to the life growing within her.  So tiny, so beautiful.  He reached out further to feel all the life around him, from Mayli to Sniff to the tiny plants in their garden.  His family, his home, his tiny piece of the galaxy, of the Living Force.  Feeling content and whole in a way he never had before, he drifted off to sleep.

Light years away, in the Endor system, Kell Jett, radio operative and sound wave expert for the Empire, studied the map of the galaxy.  Not the visible map, but the map of sound, of radio waves, vast considering all the advanced civilizations who called the galaxy home.  From his spot on the forest moon of Endor, he could survey most of the Galactic South.

And from his understanding, that was his soul job for however long the Empire decided to leave him out here, on the Outer Rim near wild, unexplored space.  Not that he complained about the assignment. Being sent so far away from the Core proved to be a blessing.  The past five years of his life had been a nightmare, and the solitude provided by his new position, on the Endor outpost alone with his six-year old son, gave him and his boy a chance to begin again after a chain of horrible circumstances.

Having studied sound, radio technologies, and audio arts during his schooling, Kell somehow landed a job on one of the hottest holodramas in the galaxy as a sound editor.  Then, when he thought life couldn’t get any better, schmoozing with celebrities, his buddy introduced him to his future wife, a beautiful young woman who worked as a nurse at a medical facility not far from his studio on Coruscant.  Soon happily married, they began working on their family, and Skyler was born. 

And then life was perfect for a year, a son and a wonderful woman by his side, more than he ever expected, considering he rarely attracted anyone’s attention, just your average, everyday human male, slightly below average height, plump, and balding since his late teen years.  Life went so well, he hardly paid attention to the Clone Wars raging across the galaxy.

But then he saw it in the tabloids before he heard it at work: the star of the holodrama exposed as a Separatist sympathizer, funneling money to Count Dooku’s forces.  The show immediately shut down, leaving Kell out of work.  His wife comforted him, and took on more hours at her job, Kell taking care of Skyler full time.  Life found a pleasant routine, although Kell struggled to find new work with his skills. 

Then the Battle of Coruscant completely shattered his life.  His wife’s medical ship, delivering supplies and personnel to one of the orbitals, got caught in the crossfire and obliterated from the galaxy.  While Supreme Chancellor Palpatine returned safely, thanks to the Jedi, his wife never did.

An unemployed widower, Kell struggled through his grief and the remaining funds in their savings.  And while folks everywhere seemed to be celebrating the new Empire, he remained for days in their tiny apartment, finding his son’s smiles as his only solace.

But things became desperate, and he sought employment with the new government, surprised to find they actually were interested in his skills.  Soon he sat in a cubicle in an office near the Emperor’s palace, developing new frequencies for military use, Skyler staying at a childcare facility.  Still, depression wrapped around him as he encountered places he and his wife happily went before, a restaurant, a park, even their apartment.  He needed to get away, so he applied for a transfer. Granted the transfer almost immediately, Kell now found himself in the Endor system, surveying frequencies in the Galactic South, looking for anything suspicious.  A new, very tiny base now sat on the forest moon near an ancient landing strip, Kell and Skyler the only inhabitants.

Now on Endor for a month, Kell began tutoring his son in his spare time, and the two took walks, exploring the local forest, occasionally sighting the native Ewoks.  The fresh air, the solitude, the abundance of time with his son, proved to be what Kell needed.  And with an Imperial transport delivering food and other supplies every other week, Kell felt a want for nothing.

Staring at the audio map of the galaxy, Kell wondered what to do if he ever did see something suspicious.  Sure, the Empire gave him a protocol to follow, how to report the event, but the likelihood of anyone trying to go against the Empire seemed absurd.  Still, he enjoyed his view of the galaxy, as well as listening in from time to time, the scent of the forest healing his broken heart. 

 


	4. Waves to the Core

**Chapter Four**

**Waves to the Core**

            Obi-Wan watched as wisps of his auburn hair floated away in the warm, mid-morning breeze.  He sighed contentedly and closed his eyes, enjoying Mayli’s touch as she trimmed his hair while he sat on the bench in his mini meditation garden.

            “Well, maybe we could hide the device in that cave we visited, you know, when we first met.  The one with the krayt dragon,” she said.

            “Too busy.  Hikers.  Tourist attraction,” he said, eyes still closed as he felt her put soapy warm water on the back of his neck.  He held still as she shaved the places he couldn’t reach.  “Any more grays?”

            “Nope,” Mayli said.

            “Liar,” he laughed, opening his eyes again at the feeling of her lips on his cheek.  “Be truthful, darling.”

            “Well, there are a couple more than last time.  And it’s…” she began.

            “What?”

            “Thinning a bit,” she sighed.  “But who are you trying to impress?  I would love you if you were bald.”

            “Oh, don’t say that word.”

            Mayli grabbed the old piece of fabric draped over his shoulder and shook the hair into the wind before dumping the small bowl of soapy water into the sand. 

            “I thought vanity was against the Jedi Code,” she laughed, taking a seat in her usual bench across from him.

            Obi-Wan thought for a moment.  “Oh dear, I don’t think it was, actually.  In fact, I think vanity may have blinded the Jedi into thinking they were immortal.”

            Mayli shrugged.  “Perhaps they were right.  You’re still here, and Yoda, and seriously, there have to be others, don’t you think?”

            Obi-Wan shrugged.  “I’ve thought about it over the past couple years.  There were a few that went…well, I guess missing could be the correct word, before the purge.”  He’d thought of this before, the names running through his mind, the faces of those he knew personally, even vague memories from when he’d been very young.  “Scientific expeditions, adventurers moving into unknown space…”

            “It’s a big galaxy.  You remember the Scholars,” Mayli said, smiling.  “Maybe an organized rebellion will make some re-emerge.  And speaking of, we really need to figure out a place to hide the device.  They’ve just been sitting in the ship for two days, and Senator Organa is waiting.”

            Obi-Wan felt his spirits fall slightly.  When he first heard about Bail’s plan, he felt the old surge of excitement he remembered when he’d been a Jedi Knight about to go on a mission. Then, upon learning about Mayli’s pregnancy, his entire mindset shifted.  They spent the previous day talking about the child, running around their home making plans for the remodel, speculating when conception occurred, making plans for the next twenty years.  The galaxy be damned, the Lars family could keep Luke Skywalker an untrained farm boy.  Obi-Wan realized by the time he lay down to sleep the previous evening he wanted nothing more than to be Ben Kenobi of Tatooine, Mayli’s husband (albeit undocumented), father, and occasional farm hand.  After unwillingly playing the game of galactic politics and losing miserably, this future sounded perfect. 

            “What’s wrong?” Mayli asked, reminding Obi-Wan that while not Force sensitive, his mate knew him well. 

            “I love our life together, Mayli,” he said, meeting her violet eyes, and she smiled.

            “Me too.”

            “I’ve been happier these past two years than I’ve ever been before.  And now we have a child coming, and…I…I don’t want to be General Kenobi again,” he said.  “I just want to be Ben, your man, your lover…and now a father.  I’ve given everything for the greater good and now I just want to…well…be.”  He paused, the inevitable guilt creeping into his thoughts.  “And other times, I feel like I’ve done enough…caused enough…”

            “Oh no…no talking like that,” said Mayli, who leaped up to stand on her bench, hands on her hips, looking at him sternly.  Her sand robes billowed around her, and she saluted him in proper military style.  “But General Kenobi…hmmm, I can imagine you being quite sexy in that uniform.” 

            Obi-Wan shook his head, knowing Mayli just wanted to make him smile, but the thought of becoming some sort of leader of troops, fighting again…he looked at the ground.  Mayli jumped off her bench and joined him on his.

            “Then let other people take care of it,” she said.  “Let other people lead for once.  We’ll just set up the devices, get people connected, and monitor.  Bail said you didn’t need to do anything.”

            Obi-Wan ran his hand through his hair, which felt clean and tidy thanks to Mayli’s cut.  “No, if called upon, I need to step up.  I’m a trained negotiator, a soldier. I’m…”

            “Going to be a father,” Mayli said, placing her hands on the sides of his face and kissing his lips sweetly.   “Obi-Wan, allow yourself to be happy.  Let’s just be the delivery service and nothing more.” She paused, and her eyes got wide.  “I’ve got it!  Jabba’s palace!”

            “What?”

            “We can hide the device somewhere at Jabba’s.  It’s huge, and there are all sorts of illegal communications happening there,” Mayli said.  “Let’s go tomorrow.  And I want to ask the office about doing a delivery of Ryloth, or somewhere near.  I spoke with the senator about recent uprisings, and he mentioned the Free Ryloth Movement we’ve seen on the holonews.  If Organa knows the contact, I can…”

            “Yes, Jabba’s.  We can talk with Gradie and Drag as well,” Obi-Wan nodded, trying to change the topic of Mayli making the deliveries.  He didn’t need to be Force sensitive to know an argument loomed in their near future over her, his dearest love, and pregnant nonetheless, making dangerous drops for rebels against the Empire.

            “We’ll leave at dawn, take the Womp Rat,” she said, kissing his forehead as she stood up.  “Jac the Rat needs a fresh coat of paint anyways.  You going to be out here?”

            “For a bit,” he answered, wanting to try contacting Qui-Gon again.

            “I’m going to start on that blueprint for the bigger ‘fresher,” she said, walking away.  “Love you.”

            “Love you too,” he said, watching her go, thinking not for the first time how lucky he’d been that she’d chosen to hide out on Tatooine, right next door to him.

            In the very small hours of the next morning, Obi-Wan woke to an empty bed, a light coming from their living room.  He walked out to see Mayli lying on her back on the floor, limbs spread out so she made a star.

            “What happened?” he gasped, falling to her side.

            “Oh nothing,” she said. “No worries.  Just felt a little sick again, so went to the toilet, but just more vertigo than nausea.  Kind of helps to just lay on the floor.  Sorry to frighten you.”

            Obi-Wan looked down at her in just her night shirt, watching her breasts move up and down as she breathed.  Feeling aroused, he also felt ashamed.  Here she was, carrying his child, and feeling ill because of it, and him getting turned on.

            “I was just thinking what a weird experience this is going to be, you know, growing someone inside me,” she laughed. 

            Obi-Wan brought one of her hands to his lips and kissed it while stretching out on the ground beside her.  She laughed.

            “Ben, you don’t need to stay here with me,” she said, but stopped and closed her eyes as he slowly kissed up her arm. 

            When he reached her shoulder, he burrowed into her hair, finding her ear and whispering, “Have a told you that you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen?  In fact, you are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.  In the entire galaxy.”

 

            Mayli giggled, and the sound aroused him further, and he kissed back down her other arm, one of his hands finding a breast and massaging, feeling the erect nipple against his palm.  She sighed contentedly.  He draped himself over her, one hand on her breast, the other moving up and down the soft skin of her arm, his mouth pressed against her warm neck. 

            “Obi…” she murmured, and he sat up, looking into her violet eyes.

            Obi-Wan became aware of their position on the floor, and slid off of her.

            “Sorry,” he said.  “I shouldn’t crush you.  The baby and your dizziness and…”  

            She stuck her lip out in a pout.  “Oh, don’t stop.  I’m tough.  And I like what you were doing.”

            “This?” he asked, grazing one of her nipples over the shirt ever-so-slightly, causing her to gasp. 

            “Oh yes,” she sighed, closing her eyes again.

            “And this?” He delectably ran his fingertips up her arm while sucking on her earlobe.

            “Uh huh,” she moaned, then opened her eyes and smiled.  “You tease.”

            She started to reach for his pants, but he grabbed her arm.  “Let me focus on you,” he said.  “The most stunning woman in the universe, the mother of my child.”

            Mayli laughed, shaking her head at his flattery, and sat up slightly to allow him to pull her shirt over her head.  Still lightly caressing her arms, he moved his mouth to her breasts, focusing on one at a time.  He circled around them with kisses, slowing working his way to the peak.  When he arrived at the nipple, he lightly grazed his teeth across the tip, then sucked hard for several moments.

            “Ohhhh…Ben,” she moaned, causing his erection to harden to point of readiness, the organ pushing almost uncomfortably against his sleep pants.

            Again, she began to tug at his clothing, but he knew if she touched him, and she always knew how to touch him right, he wouldn’t last long.  He wanted to focus on her, make her feel better, take his time exploring this amazing body that possessed so much wonder.  He took her seeking hand and placed it on the ground beside her, and focused on her other breast.

            Mayli moved underneath him, and as he sucked hard on her other nipple, she arched her back in a deep, guttural moan, her hands grasping his freshly clipped hair.  Feeling passion surge within him, he took a deep breath to regain some control, and worked his way down her soft stomach, his fingers grazing the hem of her underwear, then sliding garment off and taking a moment to study her most private area.

            Shifting down, he parted her legs slightly and kissed her inner thighs, his tongue running up her left thigh, moving across her folds, and then down her right thigh.

            Mayli sat up half-way, gasping in her pleasure.  “Ben, let me…”

            “No,” he said, beginning to run his fingers along her folds, peppering light kisses on her inner thighs.

            She lay back down, and her hips were lightly thrusting.  Obi-Wan felt a bit lightheaded in this position, the smell of her arousal, the increasing wetness he could feel, and now taste, as he licked around her sopping opening, sending his being into a euphoria.  Moving his tongue inside, he felt her shudder deeply underneath him, her swollen nub and the surrounding walls becoming wetter.  Mayli panted as he devoured her, one of his hands reaching up and subconsciously fondling her breasts, rotating between each one.

            Before Obi-Wan knew what was happening, he found himself shoved off of her onto his back, Mayli aggressively tearing off his pants.

            “Mayli…stop…I want to…” but he let out his own deep moan of pleasure as her mouth came over his member, sucking hard. 

He looked down at her in time to see her remove her mouth, her tongue flicking over the tip, seeing a bit of his own juices on her lips.  The feeling coupled with the sight pushed Obi-Wan to the point of no return, and he grabbed Mayli, pulling her up to straddle him.  Moving her hand to grasp his erection, she positioned herself over him and slid down onto him, Obi-Wan thrusting into her. Mayli moved from her position of lying on top of him to sitting up and began grinding hard onto him, Obi-Wan’s penis almost straight up inside her, a position allowing him to continually graze her clitoris.

“Mayli!” he cried out as he came, his member throbbing inside of her, so good, so warm, so real.

“Yes?!” she called back, either answering his call of her name or expressing enjoyment of her own orgasm.  Her head thrown back, hands clenching his biceps as he clutched her waist, she cried out his name again and again, Obi-Wan feeling pleased he’d been able to hold on to control long enough to experience such a deep climax along with her.

Mayli collapsed on top of him after several more thrusts, and they both lay panting on the floor in their living room.

“I think it would have been impossible for us not to get pregnant,” she laughed finally, turning her head around to face him.

“The will of the Force indeed,” he laughed, but then suddenly felt panicked.  “Mayli, we didn’t hurt the baby, right?  I just wanted to pleasure you and…”

Mayli moved off of him to once again lie on her back on the floor.  “No, no, silly.  And Lena said there will be some points in the pregnancy where I will need…um…maintenance.”

Obi-Wan laughed hard at her wording.  “You pilots and your mechanical metaphors.”

Mayli looked at him and raised an eyebrow.  “Well, she also said there will be other times when I…well, won’t be interested.”  She shrugged and laughed.  “I suppose we’ll figure it out.  Use the Force, Obi-Wan.”

He chuckled, standing up and helping her to her feet, guiding her back to bed, neither bothering to redress.  “The Force is with us…always.”

Later that day, standing at the bottom ramp of the Womp Rat One, Mayli stared at Jabba’s palace and the neighboring village.  Where could they hide the communication device?

“I think we might need to trust Drag and Gradie,” she turned to Obi-Wan as he emerged from the ship, adjusting his hood over his head.  “They’ve both worked in maintenance and sanitation here.  And now Drag does work on the ships, and Gradie slices for Jabba.  They’ve literately been everywhere here on the palace grounds.”

Obi-Wan looked worried, and Mayli knew why.  While they both knew they could trust the duo, as they’ve both been a part of actively sabotaging small Imperial efforts, for the sake of Jabba’s many business ventures, bringing them into the fold might put them in danger.  And she knew Obi-Wan already fretted about her.  Why get more people involved?

“Ben, I think they would want to help out,” she answered his unasked question.  “The whole purpose of these devices is communication, bringing people together into an organization.  And we can begin a movement here on Tatooine, starting…”

“No,” he said firmly.  “We need to keep Tatooine off the grid for our…Luke’s sake.”

Mayli studied Obi-Wan as he looked at the palace.  He really did want to embrace his exile fully, the baby having changed his perspective.  On the other hand, Mayli had mixed feelings, having seen how the Empire treated many of its citizens.  Still, the unborn child within her gave her pause.  Both she and Obi-Wan deserved a life of peace, and at this point, they seemed to have the choice.

Choice.  Hmmmm….

“We can give them the choice,” Mayli said.  “Start vague, tell them it’s secret, illegal, they don’t have to help.” She smiled, knowing both men well after the past two years, knowing they would jump at the opportunity the moment they heard the word illegal.

“Help with what?” came a cheerful voice, and the couple turned to see Gradie approaching him, his dark hair and skin glistening with sweat.  “Need some new sabotage work, Mays?”

Mayli embraced her friend, remembering when she first met him, how Obi-Wan got in a bar brawl with him and Drag over the duo making inappropriate comments about her.  But considering how he helped her when Obi-Wan had been kidnapped, and since in dealings with Jabba, she now considered him one of her closest friends on Tatooine, often sharing a drink with him following an on-planet run.  When she was scheduled to return to Jabba’s palace with some contraband, she’d often find Obi-Wan waiting for her, playing cards or simply laughing alongside Gradie, Drag and his brother sometimes joining.

Looking at Obi-Wan, who still glanced at her with uncertainty, Mayli made the decision for them and pulled Gradie back up into the ship, leading him to the galley.

“Listen Gradie, we need to hide something here at Jabba’s.  It needs to be hidden for a while, and in a place we can access, but the place also needs to be unnoticed,” Mayli explained.  “You know this palace like nobody else and…”

“What is it?” he asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

“If we tell you…” she began.

“No, Mayli, let’s…” Obi-Wan interrupted.

“Ben,” Mayli turned to him and spoke firmly.  “We’re bringing people together…”

“Together for what?” asked Gradie.

“A rebellion against the Empire,” Mayli said, knowing that the Gradie of over two years ago, when they’d first met, showed interest in joining the Empire.  The Gradie now before her recently rewired an Imperial transport while the stormtroopers were in Jabba’s cantina, creating quite a funny show for everyone that afternoon.

“Ben and I are in contact with some powerful people who want to begin connecting all these small uprisings against the Empire.  Start a galaxy-wide rebellion,” she explained, noticing how Obi-Wan kept quiet, leaning against the counter and studying Gradie. 

“Rebellion?” Gradie repeated, his brown eyes lighting up.

“Yes, and these things we need to hide are small communication devices.  We’re at the beginning, getting people together.  We just need a place to hide them, and we thought the palace grounds as there is so much communication coming in and out of here anyway.  That frequency would just be white noise,” Mayli continued.  “We cannot have it in our home or at a small business or…”

“I know the perfect place!” Gradie said, jumping up.

“You do…” Mayli jumped up too, excited.

“Yes, but you might not like it,” Gradie laughed as Mayli grabbed her satchel with one of the devices and followed him down the ramp.  “I discovered it during my time in waste management.”

“Oh dear…” Mayli groaned, wondering where this could possibly be.  But still, this might be a good option.

She’d walked half-way across the landing strip before she remembered Obi-Wan.  Turning around, she saw him closing up the ship and then turning to follow them slowly, his face hidden in his hood.  She turned back to Gradie and was surprised to see him leading her to a small building off the side of the palace, across from the rancor enclosure.  If the smell of the animals wasn’t enough, Gradie opening the door to the shed made her gag and immediately brought back the nausea Obi-Wan did such a nice job distracting her from earlier that morning.

“What in the…” she began but drive heaved.  Recovering a bit, she said, “This is not…um…the place where…”

“Oh, not waste from the sentients,” Gradie grinned, seeming not to notice the smell.  A good sign, thought Mayli.  Perhaps one could get used to it.  “Whatever Jabba doesn’t eat, comes here for composting.  It’s actually not too much.  He usually eats everything.  But what he doesn’t…well, nobody seems to like his leftovers and with no other Hutts around.  We sell the compost to the wineries up near the poles.”

“Oh goodness me…” came Obi-Wan’s voice, and Mayli glanced over and laughed, Obi-Wan with his sleeve in front of his nose and mouth.

“Shall we?” Gradie said formally, guiding them inside

A dark shed with a deep pit featuring the discarded food, the space was claustrophobic and unpleasant, the perfect location to hide the device.  But then Gradie surprised her again.  He walked over to a wall and pushed, a narrow door opening to a tiny room with one small light.  Mayli and the men could only enter the space by turning sideways.  Having been in the smuggling game for a while now, Mayli immediately guessed the purpose of the space.

“Smugglers smuggling from the crime boss,” she said, mostly to herself, but Gradie nodded.

“When I first started here and was shoveling compost, one of Jabba’s former pilots scared the living daylights out of me when he emerged from this little room,” Gradie laughed.  “He’d been lifting a bit of spice, and even some glitterstim, off each shipment, and doing his own dealing on the side.  Just taking small amounts each time, nobody noticing.  Cut me a bit of the profits in order for me to keep my mouth shut.”

“What happened to him?” asked Obi-Wan.

“Killed about two years before you two came around.  Trying to beat that long-standing time out on the Kessel Run,” Gradie shook his head.  “Once I heard, sold off the rest of the stash.  I’m not gutsy enough to deal on my own.  But kept the room a secret, just in case.  Been thinking about things recently, modified weapons is becoming big, with the uprisings.”

Mayli turned to Obi-Wan who nodded and said, “I think this will work.  And you come here enough, an excuse for me to drop by and check on comm traffic.”

“I can check too,” she reminded him, and she turned back to Gradie.  “You mustn’t mention this to anyone.”

“Honey, do you know how many things I know about around here I’m not supposed to mention,” he laughed and looked back at the pit of food.  “I’m so glad to be out of here and working on the computers, slicing.”

“What about the current person who attends the pit?” asked Obi-Wan.

Gradie laughed.  “A young Gamorrean, dumb as dirt.  And you cannot see the door in the dark.  I would have never seen it if the pilot hadn’t walked out so carelessly.”

Mayli watched Obi-Wan nod again, looking around the small space thoughtfully.  “Okay.”

“I’m heading back to my office,” he said, stepping out the door.  “Be careful about exiting, but honestly, people tend to avoid this area.  Can you blame them?”  He began to leave but turned around.  “And by the way, you two owe me a beer.”

“We’ll come get you in a bit,” smiled Mayli.  “Thank you so much, Gradie.”

Pulling the device from her bag, she opened it, revealing a small screen and keyboard.  The device, purposefully made to look antique in case of discovery, the Imperials hopefully thinking it to be an obsolete piece of technology.  Mayli entered the code Organa gave her, and handed the piece to Obi-Wan.

“Well, he’s waiting.  And the code name is Dragon,” she said.

“What is my code name?”

            “He said he’d give you one,” she said.  “I might suggest Sexy, but…”

            That finally got a grin from Obi-Wan, and he leaned in to speak into the small microphone above the keyboard, “Hello Dragon.  The world of Twin Suns signing on.” 

            The words appeared on the screen, then disappeared after a brief moment, the device looking dead.  He placed it on the dusty floor.

            “He said it may take a day or two before the connection happens.  But I have an on-planet run in three days, so we just dropping by twice in a week won’t look suspicious,” Mayli said.  “You know, Gradie was right, you do get used to the smell.”

            “Well, let’s go to the cantina,” Obi-Wan said, putting his hand on the small of her back and guiding her to the door.

            “Yes, and I want to talk with Yarna about a flight near or on Ryloth.  I know Organa will want there next, but I don’t know the contact and…” Mayli began.

            Obi-Wan sighed heavily.  “Mayli, I don’t want you to do…”

            Mayli pulled the sleeve of his robe, and he stopped, just outside the door of the little room.  “Not now…let’s be happy we found a place.  Let’s enjoy a drink with a friend, juice for me of course.” She winked and smiled pleasantly, taking the lead from the compost shed.  “And there really is not argument, Ben.  I’m doing this, and I don’t need to ask your permission.”

            She cringed after those final words, knowing she went a bit too far, but upon turning to look at him, she saw him look at her lovingly.

            “You are a good woman, Mayli,” he said.

            “And you’re a good man,” she said.  “Let me buy you an ale.  Remember, I get the employee discount.”

            Noticing no passersby, the couple slipped out one at a time, meeting minutes later in the cantina, already becoming crowded with the after work usuals.

            Whistling tunelessly before shoveling a spoonful of rather tasteless Imperial rations into his mouth, Kell Jett settled in for his evening survey of the galaxy, bringing up the southern part of the Slice, zeroing in on the Outer Rim.  He’d developed a pattern in his search for sound anomalies, and evenings meant the east.  His son lying asleep on the small sofa behind him, Kell usually spent two hours looking before retiring for the night.

During that day’s tutoring, Kell read Sky stories about the Twenty Wonders of the Galaxy before delving into mathematics, an area his son seemed to excel in already, like his parents.  However, the stories lingered with Kell now, and his attention shifted to another screen.  He spent some time hopping his view around to the different planets he’d talked about with Sky, hoping to one day take his son to many of them.

He moved his view to Alderaan, remembering one of the Wonders he’d seen in person, the Crevasse City, when he and his wife visited the planet on their honeymoon.  He stared sadly at the sonic view of the planet, thinking about her, the good times they had, before glancing back at Sky snoozing behind him.  Shaking his head slowly, he returned his gaze to the frequencies in the Outer Rim.

Something immediately caught his eye, and he scooted up to the screen, putting his food down.  Tatooine, a world that didn’t have a whole lot of off world comm traffic, seemed to have a new frequency being used, one that flickered in and out of his surveillance map.  Zooming in, he found most waves seemed to be headed to Hutt Space, not unusual, as he knew the planet to be run, for the most part, by a Hutt.  However, this flickering wave seemed to flow toward the Core.  Following the map, his face leaning closer and closer to the screen, Kell could not find which world the wave linked to, as the Core was riddled with comm traffic, a vast web of lines and numbers and chatter.  Studying Tatooine again, he shook his head.  While he could rule out a new Imperial wave, as those were immediately labeled on his screen, the most logical assumption would be more communication from the Hutt.  At this point, the Empire held little interest in the smuggling game, focusing instead on stamping out opposition.

Still, Kell felt he needed to be thorough, and he put on his ear piece, turning it up and punching in the wave.  Nothing but static.  Pushing his chair over to another screen, a personal one he used for sound mixing, he brought up the waves, tuning at different subspace levels.  Still, nothing but static.

Suddenly, a man’s voice spoke loud and clear into Kell’s ear, making him nearly leap out of his seat.  Only a single word came through: Dragon.  Then, static again.

Kell fiddled more with his personal equipment, but nothing else emerged, and he eventually gave up with a shrug to himself.  Nothing to report, most likely illegal goods traffic, he guessed, imagining dragon to be some new form of spice. 

Another hour passed with nothing interesting, and finally Kell turned to his son, picking the boy up and carrying him to their small loft above the office.  Eventually getting into bed himself, Kell listened to the soft Endor rain hit the roof as he drifted off to sleep.

Perched on a cliff in the hills near the valley of the Lars homestead, Obi-Wan looked through his scope to see Owen walking his property, the toddler Luke happily trailing him, taking three steps for each of Owen’s one.

“I could just take the child,” he said to Mayli after a long silence.  “They certainly couldn’t stop me.”

            “Ben, you can’t just do that.  He is their child.  You handed him to them as an infant, a newborn,” Mayli said as she pulled the scope away from his eyes. 

            Mayli just didn’t seem to understand the importance of beginning Luke’s training.  “The Jedi did, took children from families.  That’s how it was always done.” 

            “I’m not sure if that is a good justification, considering,” said Mayli, and Obi-Wan could tell from her slow speech she hesitated to say more.

Watching the two specks of Owen and Luke in the distance, Obi-Wan sighed heavily.  Between this recent development with the Lars family, the blossoming rebellion, of which he found himself a part, and the fact he now had a child on the way, his brain became a jumbled mess, mixing moments of sheer joy with utter frustration.

“But Luke, making him a Jedi, that is my job, the whole purpose I am here,” he said.  “And, of course, his protection, from Anakin, the Emperor, the Empire.”

“And if you trained him, if he is Force sensitive,” Mayli said, emphasizing the if. “What happens then?”

“I don’t know,” Obi-Wan said, wishing more than anything he could talk with Yoda.  And Qui-Gon, where did he go?  Obi-Wan felt abandoned.

“Let’s give them a couple of weeks to cool off, then we’ll go together, maybe bearing gifts,” Mayli said, smiling at him.  “I know the scent Beru prefers.  Strategy.  Soften them up, come with logical arguments.”

Obi-Wan nodded, glad to have Mayli on his side.

“And remember Leia.  If things go poorly with them, Leia is also a Skywalker, perhaps a Jedi.  And with this new line to Alderaan…” she said.

Obi-Wan’s brain began spinning.  Yes, Leia, he could maybe make the journey to the Organas and… 

“Obi,” Mayli said softly, her hand on his, moving him from his thoughts. 

“Yes?”

“Just focus on the now, okay?  Don’t dwell in the past.  I saw what happened to you when you did.  And don’t overthink the future.  You, me, we have a lot of good things happening.  Focus on the now.”

The now, he thought.  Yes, he needed to do just that.  The devices, the baby, he had enough to think about.  He and Mayli could work on how to approach Owen and Beru, together.  He wasn’t alone in his exile, broken, in despair.  He had Mayli and their child, his now.

 


	5. Cocktails

**Chapter Five**

**Cocktails**

            Returning in the afternoon from a morning run from Jabba’s to Mos Eisley, Obi-Wan, having rode with Mayli that day, felt himself almost tingling with excitement as they approached the compost shed.  The idea of hearing Bail’s voice, seeing his message, made him feel that he might be back in the role he belonged in, an organizer, a negotiator.  He stopped short of calling himself warrior, a word Beru hissed at him when he expressed his interest in beginning training Luke.  But Mayli’s passion for the potential rebellion, and her and Obi-Wan’s role, infected him over the past few days, and he couldn’t wait to check the device.

            Sliding into the tiny room and turning on the low light, he and Mayli sat on the floor, bodies pressed together, in front of the device.  Mayli entered the code and let out a tiny yelp, seeing the green dot blink twice to indicate a message.

            “Remember, once we enter the code and the message plays, the device erases everything.  And the text will appear and linger for only 30 seconds,” instructed Mayli.  “Senator Organa had this devised in case the audio came across poorly.  Or you were in a place where things needed to remain silent.” She looked back toward the tight door.  “I think we’re good for now.”

            Obi-Wan nodded eagerly, the idea of hearing his friend’s voice, not over the holonews in one of the rare times he appeared but rather addressing Obi-Wan, almost bringing a tear of nostalgia to his eyes.  He entered the code and held his breathe.

            “Hello planet of Twin Suns,” came Bail’s voice, deep and strong.  “Dragon speaking.  I see The Bird has delivered this comm.  I offer you both congratulations on your upcoming addition.  Please let me know when you receive this message, Daddy O.”

            The message ended, but the text lingered for several more seconds.

            “Am I The Bird,” asked Mayli, her voice ringing with delight.  “Ohhh, I love that!”

            Obi-Wan stared at the screen as the words disappeared.  Daddy O?

            “I’m Daddy O?” Obi-Wan said, and Mayli wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek.  He could hear Bail laughing after he sent the message.  Finally, he shook his head and brought the device close to his mouth.  Entering the send code, he spoke.  “Daddy O speaking.  Hello, Dragon.  We got your message.  Connection has been made.”

            Mayli took the device, smiling brightly at him.

            “Okay, ready to go home, Daddy O?” she laughed.  “I love that.  I’m going to get our child to…wait, look, he’s on there now!”

            Obi-Wan looked down to see the green light flash again twice, then blink out.  Would he get to speak with Bail in real time?  His hand shaking, he entered the code.

            “Daddy O, you don’t know what it means to hear your voice,” Bail said, his voice sounding thick and a bit broken, Obi-Wan knowing it wasn’t from the connection winking out.  “All safe?”

            The message ended, and Obi-Wan sat, unable to speak.  He had a direct line of communication to Bail, could have a conversation.  But his throat felt constricted, and he remained speechless.

            “I’ll step outside,” Mayli said, rising and kissing his forehead.  “Give you a moment with your friend.  But find out the contact on Ryloth.  Remember, I have a drop there next week.” And she disappeared through the door.

            Obi-Wan turned his attention back to the device.  Clearing his throat and entering the send code, he spoke, “Yes, all safe with you?”

            “Yes,” Bail answered, Obi-Wan realizing he’d need to get used to this delayed conversation.  “I like The Bird.  She suits you.  I’m glad you were able to create a life on Twin Suns…double entendre intended.” Obi-Wan heard Bail chuckle before the message ended.

            Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, but laughed aloud, finally letting tears escape. He thought of the life Bail had with Breha and Leia, and wished he and Mayli could one day bring their own child over to the Alderaan palace grounds to play while the adults sat around the fountains drinking wine and talking pleasantly.  Obi-Wan sighed sadly, knowing this to be an impossible future.

            “You seem to enjoy this news,” Obi-Wan said finally.

            “Oh yes.  I can just imagine what the others would say,” Bail said.

            “Me too,” laughed Obi-Wan, the sentiment bittersweet.  Of course the only other Jedi he could tell would be Yoda, and he knew the small Jedi Master would be far less amused than Bail.

            “The Bird told me of your family,” Obi-Wan continued.  “And…” But he stopped the message, unsure what to call Vader.

            “We are happy,” Bail said, not seeming to notice the hesitation.  “But we need to keep conversations short.  The Bird mentioned the next delivery could be to Red Sphere.”

            Obi-Wan knew Red Sphere to be Ryloth. “Yes,” he said, wondering how much danger she would face.

            “We both know of the resistance leader there,” Bail said, and Obi-Wan nodded to himself, knowing Bail meant Cham Syndulla, whose efforts continued after the Clone Wars in the Free Ryloth Movement.  “A resort town near the equator, by the rainforest.  A high end women’s clothing boutique is the front for a rebel contact.  Password Lylek Fourteen.”

            “I will let The Bird know.  She flies in a week,” said Obi-Wan.

            “Red Sphere has been hesitant about joining other rebellions,” Bail continued.  “However, once we have steady contact, I intend to change their minds.”

            “If anyone would be able to, you would, Dragon,” Obi-Wan said.

            “Talk with you soon, Daddy O,” Bail said.

            Obi-Wan seized his chance.  “About the name Daddy O.  Is there something more, well…um different…perhaps I could have a different code name.”

            Bail’s message came through with loud laughter.  “You are already known as Daddy O of Twin Suns by others in the syndicate.  Sorry…okay, I’m not.  It’s just too funny.”

            Obi-Wan affected an overdramatic heavy sigh into the microphone, seeing the argument to be fruitless due to the humor of his impending fatherhood.  At least he wasn’t Papa Jedi.

            “You take care, Dragon,” Obi-Wan said.

            “May the Force be with you, Daddy O,” Bail answered.

            Then silence.  Obi-Wan sat still, staring at the device, the first step in a large movement against the Empire, and for him it began here, feet away from Jabba the Hutt’s compost pile.  The heat of the afternoon brought the smell into the tiny room, and Obi-Wan leaped up after placing the device on the ground.  A woman’s boutique in the equatorial resort town?  Sounded safe enough.  And he knew Mayli could take care of herself, being brave and intelligent; he just wished he could join her, protect her.    He left the shed to find Mayli and return to their homestead.

            A week later, Mayli walked through the equatorial resort village of Tarka, which seemed to be a playground for the rich, with two-large all-inclusive resorts, restaurants, store-fronts featuring advertisements for guided tours into the forests, and boutiques from the top designers in the galaxy.  Spice seemed available everywhere, but little evidence showed of the primary issues on Ryloth, poverty and slavery, almost horrifyingly evident in the ports and the capital, where Mayli just left, doing a weapons drop and a spice pick-up.  Wearing simple linen slacks and a pink blouse, shades over her eyes, Mayli tried to blend in with the other tourists, a mixed group of sentients who obviously had money from their clothes and multiple bags of purchases.

            Unfortunately, several high-end women’s clothing shops lined the main shopping street, and Mayli went into each one, approaching the proprietor and stating the code cheerfully, mostly gaining strange looks from the sales staff, although one did tell her to seek out one of the tour guides so she could see a lylek in the wild.

            Two shops remained on the main strip, and Mayli, after purchasing a pastry at a delicious-smelling bakery, and not being disappointed by its rich sweetness, entered one with a purple flowery sign which advertised clothing for humanoid females.  Empty of customers, Mayli’s eye found a beautiful flowered dress, form-fitting on the top, puffy on the bottom, and thought how nice it would be to wear with Obi-Wan to their monthly steak dinner, maybe adding some dancing into the mix.  Holding it up to her in front of the mirror, she smiled brightly.  She wasn’t one to dress up, considering her line of work, and she only owned one dress.  But when a dress like this caught her eye…

            “May I help you?” came a cool voice, and Mayli looked up to see a well-dressed, green-skinned Twi’lek about her age approaching.

            “Um, yes,” said Mayli, hanging the dress back up.  “Lylek Fourteen.”

            The woman’s eyes narrowed, and she glanced around the shop.  “No customers.  You may speak freely.  Who sent you?”

            “A gathering of rebellions.  I bring a communication device to connect the galaxy’s resistance movement,” she pulled out the comm and explained it’s workings. 

The woman nodded, placing it under the counter.  “I see Cham tomorrow.  We will comply in communication, but no promises on further alliances.”

Mayli nodded, remembering Obi-Wan’s words about the Free Ryloth Movement’s hesitance at cooperation with others off world. 

“We look forward to hearing from you,” Mayli said, unsure how to end the conversation, and she turned toward the door.

“Wait,” said the sale clerk.  “You cannot just walk out of here empty handed.  You may attract suspicion.”

Mayli looked at her, wondering if she was supposed to purchase items at the other stores she visited.  So far, she only purchased the pastry and a set of cooking spoons for the kitchen.

But the woman looked at her sternly, and Mayli turned to the dress she liked.  Looking at the price tag, she had to hold in a gasp.  The cost of the dress was well over what she made in a month.  Looking around for something cheaper, the woman glaring at her the entire time, Mayli began to feel uncomfortable.  Embarrassed, she approached the woman again.

“I’m sorry, your shop is lovely, and I see many things I would buy, but I do not have a lot of credits,” Mayli admitted, feeling her cheeks reddening.  She had no idea her first outing as a rebel would be humiliating.  She preferred danger.

“What, you’re not some wealthy senator’s wife, getting off on seeing the poor saps of the galaxy, or a rebellious Moff’s daughter?” hissed the woman.

“Um, no,” Mayli said, starting to realize the woman’s stance on the situation, as well as Ryloth’s as a whole.  “I’m a delivery pilot who works for a crime boss.”

The woman’s face softened.  “Really?”

“Yes, I’ve been to a lot of places in the galaxy.  Things are going badly everywhere,” Mayli said.

Moving quickly enough to startle Mayli, the woman dashed around the counter and put her arm around Mayli’s shoulders.  “Oh my, well, then pick out what you want.  You like that dress?  It’s on me.  Or rather Cham.  He can afford it.”  The woman eyed her up and down.  “You have a cute little figure.  Let’s get you situated with some other things.” 

Several shirts, pants, and skirts later, they approached the lingerie section, Mayli seeing a plethora of things to entice Obi-Wan.  Other than her one dress, she never wore anything seductive.

“You have a mate?” asked the sales clerk, who seemed to enjoy dressing Mayli up. 

“Yes, for over two years.  And we’re expecting.”

The woman gasped in delight.  “You must be very early in your pregnancy.”

“About six weeks.”

“Well, then you’ll want a few things for when you’re feeling frisky.  Ahh…here.  Does your man like sheer?”

Mayli laughed.  “I’m sure he does.”

After gathering several items she knew would make Obi-Wan blush, she was dragged over to the small maternity section and given clothes for when she began to show.  Four shopping bags overflowing with clothing stood by the counter, and Mayli knew her mother Rey, who worked for Centerpoint Cosmetics on Corellia, would be happy to see her daughter engaging in something so girly.

“Are you sure?” Mayli asked, struggling to find a way to successfully carry the items back to the Womp Rat One.

“Yes, from one rebel to another,” the woman said.  “You will let me know how your mate enjoys the lingerie.  Especially that blue silk nightie.”

Mayli smiled, knowing the color matched Obi-Wan’s lightsaber.  “I will try to visit again.  Or…”

“Or maybe it’s safe not to.  I don’t know what Cham will decide, but I will assure him that the others are not just the rich and fabulous,” the woman said.

Mayli worked her way slowly down the street, stopping again to buy another pastry, wondering if it was her craving or the child’s.  An hour later, she powered up her ship, ready to head home, proud to have made her first successful mission as a rebel, with a bonus of a closet full of free clothing.

Waiting for Mayli’s return, Obi-Wan sat in the back of Jabba’s cantina, playing a slow game of sabacc with Drag, neither man very interested, just going through the motions.  Drag talked about his detail shop, now receiving more business than just Jabba.

“Uh oh,” Drag said, stopping the explanation of his new logo design. 

“What?” asked Obi-Wan, looking up from his cards and following Drag’s gaze to the bar.

Yarna, the Askajian personal assistant of Jabba, talked frantically with Solla, the elderly lead bartender, a craggy-faced human female who’d seen many a year behind that bar.  The two women looked over and gestured in Drag and Obi-Wan’s direction.

“I just got off work.  Wonder if there’s some emergency or…” but he never finished as Yarna approached the table.

“Hi boys,” she said.  “Listen, we have a bit of a problem.”

Obi-Wan felt his heart beat quicken.  Had they received some sort of emergency comm from Mayli?  He expected her back that evening and…

“One of those galactic cruisers, you know the casino ships, just went into orbit.  Several transports are coming down.  Tourists wanting to see the palace,” she explained. 

“Tourists?  On Tatooine?  What is there to see here?” Drag snickered.

“I don’t know, but we’re not fully staffed, with Jabba in Mos Espa for the races.  But he gave permission for tours, at a price of course.  And people will pay,” Yarna batted her eyes in exaggerated fashion at Drag.  “You can be charming when you want to be, Drag.  How about be a tour guide?”

“C’mon, Yarna…”

“Double time,” she said.  “And Jabba will erase your bar tab.”

Drag leaped up, throwing down his cards.  “Gotta go change.  See ya, Ben.”

Ben sighed, gathering together the deck, then paused to look up, Yarna still standing there.

“And how would you like to earn some extra credits?” she asked.

“Me?” Obi-Wan asked.

“This place is gonna fill up.  And Solla is the only one available to bartend.  You know how to pour a drink, maybe mix some cocktails?”

“Um…ah…well…”

“You’re here anyway, waiting for Mayli.  Why not?” Yarna said, then smiled sweetly.  “And look at Solla.  You know how she gets when she’s stressed.”

Obi-Wan looked at the older woman, whose grumpy disposition emanated from across the room.

“Um, ok,” he said, wanting to be helpful.  With Mayli working for Jabba, he’d gotten to know quite a few of his employees and found most to be good people.  And as a Jedi, assisting others came as second nature.  He straightened his tunic as he walked toward the bar.  “Hi Solla, I’m going to be helping this…”

“Ben, right?” she growled.

“Yes.”

“Didn’t you get thrown out of here one time?” she asked, returning to her work of putting glasses away.

Obi-Wan remembered that day well, but he just shrugged.

“You know how to pour a drink?” she asked.

“Yes.”

“And cocktails.  One of those cruise ships, that casino crowd, a lot of them want those fruity drinks, mixed with the hard stuff.  You know cocktails?” she asked, now organizing the various bottles of alcohol.

“I can learn, although I’m personally more of an ale guy,” Obi-Wan said, thinking how hard mixing drinks and tending bar could really be, him being a Jedi Master.

His answer came in an hour, as dozens of sentients poured into the cantina, every seat at the tables and every stool at the bar occupied.  The band, not scheduled for another hour, arrived early, and the place became lively and loud.  Obi-Wan and Solla ran back and forth, at first the Jedi running into her often, but he soon found a rhythm and the two became a well-oiled machine.  As he mixed a couple of mojitos for a group of young, over-dressed women, carefully following the directions on his data pad, he overheard Yarna as she checked in with Solla.

“Solla, my dear, have you ever seen so many women sit at the bar?” she laughed.  “And look at Ben’s tip jar.”

            Solla joined in the laughter.

            Obi-Wan paused and looked at his side of the bar, realizing only females occupied the stools, some who were whispering and giggling, looking in his direction.  Sure enough, his tip jar overflowed.  Starting to feel a bit uncomfortable, he handed the mojitos to the three women. 

            “Um…we ordered martinis,” one said, a blue-eyed blonde who winked at him.  “But that’s okay, sweetie.”

            Obi-Wan shook his head.  Had somebody order a mojito?  Wait, that group of older women down the…

            “Hey cutie, two beers down here,” shouted a young woman. 

            Obi-Wan nodded and smiled their direction.  Turning from the bar and bending over to the cooler of bottles, loud whistles erupted from the women at the bar. 

            “And he’s got a cute butt too,” he heard one of his customers say to her friend.

His face reddened.  So uncivilized!  He stood up quickly to see Solla and Yarna laughing at him a few feet away.

“I don’t know why we didn’t hire a handsome man years ago,” the elderly barkeep said.

Obi-Wan put the beer bottles down.  Feeling embarrassed and angry, he approached the duo.  “I don’t think I can do this, Yarna.  I’m not a piece of meat.”

            Yarna raised an eyebrow, and Obi-Wan felt ashamed, remembering she belonged to Jabba, was made to wear erotic costumes on a near nightly basis, and received leering looks from men all the time.

            “Look how much money you’re making,” she said, pointing to his tip jar.  “That on top of your pay.  Buy Mayli something nice.  I never see that girl wear any jewelry.  And after the cruise ship leaves, you can go back to just sitting in the corner.”  She turned to leave but paused.  “We do thank you for your help, Ben.  And you do have a nice butt.” She giggled as she walked away, rotating around the room to check on customers.

            “Hey you sexy thing, how about some gin,” said an elderly Bothan woman, her fur slightly graying, who took the stool just vacated by a woman who left to dance.

            Sighing heavily, he finally gave in, flashing her his most engaging smile.  “On the rocks, doll?” he asked, feeling ridiculous.

            The evening got better as Obi-Wan embraced his bartending role, using his charm to entertain the women, and soon his second tip jar overflowed, Obi-Wan already making plans for the baby’s room he would add on to his and Mayli’s home.  As he stepped away for a quick toilet break, he stared at himself in the mirror of the ‘fresher, shaking his head and chuckling.  Five years ago he led troops during the Clone Wars, and now he tended bar in a Hutt crime lord’s cantina.  What would Master Yoda say?  And what would Mayli say when she returned?  He headed back to the floor, anticipating teasing from his woman.

            Mayli walked down the ramp of the Womp Rat One, looking around at the large number of transports parked nearby.  She’d seen the cruise ship in orbit, wondering why they’d stopped at Tatooine.  She’d watched a couple of transports headed to Mos Eisley, Mos Espa, Anchorhead, and other locales, but she hadn’t expected a crowd at Jabba’s. Hoping to find Obi-Wan soon, Mayli felt a little giddy about her first mission as a rebel, and she could not wait to share the experience with him.

            Knowing he often waited for her in the cantina, playing cards, she walked in, shocked to see everything lively and jumping, especially with Jabba away.  But her jaw dropped when her eyes fell on the bar.  Obi-Wan stood next to Solla, who actually appeared to be laughing, a smile unnatural on her usually sour face.  They talked, but Obi-Wan’s attention seemed drawn away down the bar, and he left, grabbing a few liquor bottles and glasses along the way. 

            Mayli walked up to the bar slowly and slid into one of the only empty stools, directly in front of Solla.  She watched Obi-Wan mixing the drink for two older human women who definitely appeared to be flirting with him.  She turned to Solla.

            “Um, Solla, what…just, um…what?” was all she could get out, the image of bartender Obi-Wan both ridiculous and highly amusing.  She listened as Solla filled her in on the understaffing emergency.

            “And you should see the tips, Mayli!  You two will live like royalty,” she said.

            Mayli could not control her giggling, and she continued to watch Obi-Wan work his way through the customers.  Finally, he turned around and spotted her.  His bartender play-acting body language disappeared, and he dashed out from behind the bar, running over to her, and grabbing her tightly into an embrace.

            “Boo!” cried out one of his female patrons.  “He’s taken!  Unfair!”

            The women along the bar hooted with laughter.

            “Yes, he is taken!” called Mayli in delight, Obi-Wan still clinging to her.

            “Save me,” he whispered in her ear, before pulling away to look in her eyes.  “How are you?”

            “Good.  Everything went very well.  Smoother than we anticipated.  And I got new clothes,” she said.

            Obi-Wan looked puzzled, and Mayli realized the randomness of her statement, as one rarely combined clandestine rebel activities with shopping.

            “I’ll explain later, after your shift,” she said.  “Seems you have a large fan base.”

            “I feel like an object,” he said, shaking his head sadly.  “But once I embraced my role and took on a character, a skill Qui-Gon taught me when I studied negotiations, things improved.  And we have credits for the deluxe version of the baby’s room we discussed and…”

            “Baby?” cried Solla, Mayli wondering how the woman, usually hard of hearing, picked up that single key word.  “You two expecting?”

            “Yes,” said Mayli as the older woman came around the bar to embrace her.  Obi-Wan did seem to bring out the good mood in everyone that evening.

            “I’ll blend you up a nice fruit juice concoction, lots of vitamins,” she said, returning to her work. 

            Mayli turned to Obi-Wan.  “You know, if you wore your shirt a bit tighter, you might get more tips.  Those arms of yours, Ben.”

            “I told him that an hour ago,” laughed Yarna, who returned to the bar with a tray full of empty bottles.

            Obi-Wan gave her a playfully audacious look, then kissed her and returned to his work.  Hours passes, and Mayli felt herself relaxing, enjoying the Obi-Wan show and visiting with some of the tourists.  In the very early hours of the morning, the transports cleared out, and the cantina became empty.  Mayli stared at the pile of credits in front of her, Obi-Wan’s earnings.

            “Well, you’re hired,” said Solla, slapping him on the back.  “I’ve been hoping to take less hours and…”

            “I don’t think…” he began, but Mayli gave him a glance.  “How about when Mayli does runs?  I can stay here, work…” check on the device, he seemed to add in his look to Mayli.

            As Solla and Obi-Wan cleaned up, Yarna filled the appropriate data to make Ben Kenobi an official bartender at the cantina, on a less than part time basis, able to give the aging Solla some needed time off.  Mayli watched him work, herself wiping down the counter, when a memory of a club visit years ago on Coruscant suddenly filled her mind.

            “Ben,” she said, gesturing him over.  “You know what would be fun, and probably rake in more money?”

            “If I wore tighter pants,” he said, raising his eyebrows.

            Mayli broke into a fit of giggles.  “Well, yes.  But there was this human bartender at a really popular club on Coruscant who entertained people when he made drinks.  He would flip around the bottles, throw glasses into the air while he mixed cocktails, never breaking anything.  With your…um…skills, I bet you would have people wide eyed and cheering.  Might bring in a less bitter atmosphere.” 

            Lost in thought for a moment, she remembered watching that bartender, wondering if the man had, in fact, been Force sensitive, not realizing his ability but using it nonetheless.  She looked back at Obi-Wan, who appeared thoughtful. 

            “That actually sounds…fun,” he said.  “We could grab some empty bottles before we go to use as practice.”  He shook his head.  “I did enjoy working this evening.  A nice change from farm labor, and it kept my mind occupied.” 

            Mayli smiled, and soon they walked back to the ship, now on a nearly empty landing strip, each holding a box of empty liquor bottles for Obi-Wan to practice his more advanced bartending skills.

            Early afternoon the next day, Mayli still lying asleep, tired from her journeys and staying up to tell Obi-Wan everything about her visit to Ryloth, Obi-Wan set up a makeshift bar constructed with found materials in the shade.  He figured the small counter to be about the height of the one at Jabba’s.  He filled the various bottle with different levels of sand to imitate the weight of the liquid without wasting precious water.  Then he began to work, using the Force to balance the bottles, flip them around quickly with slightly supernatural speed, not enough to raise suspicion.  He developed a couple different routines to fit various cocktails, laughing at the silliness of the task, but enjoying the unique way of using the Force nonetheless.

            “My, my, Obi-Wan.  I must say, you continue to astound me with your unique skill set,” came a familiar voice, and Obi-Wan allowed the bottle he just tossed in the air to fall into the dirt.

            Turning, he saw Qui-Gon standing beside him, his image strong, face smiling.

            “Qui-Gon!” cried Obi-Wan, wishing he could embrace his former master.  “I have so much to tell you!”

****

 


	6. Knocked Up

**Chapter Six**

**Knocked Up**

            Walking Sniff the eopie around the hillside, Obi-Wan filled Qui-Gon in on all the latest news, feeling relief at seeing his master after several long weeks.  Starting with news of the impending rebellion, Qui-Gon just nodded and looked thoughtfully at the ground. 

            “And I’m not sure about taking an active role…because of Luke and my job of resurrecting the Jedi Order,” Obi-Wan said.

            “Then don’t take an active role,” Qui-Gon said.  “I’m certain the bounties on you and Yoda would give some fortunate hunter the funds to buy a small world.”

            “There’s…um…well, something else,” Obi-Wan hesitated, then launched into the story of Mayli’s pregnancy.

            Qui-Gon stopped walking and turned to face Obi-Wan directly.  Obi-Wan looked into the face of his friend, not able to read the expression, but impressed by Qui-Gon’s almost solid figure.  Sniff’s sudden sneeze made both men jump slightly, and Qui-Gon began to laugh.

            “Why does everyone seem to think me becoming a father is so funny?” asked Obi-Wan.

            Qui-Gon kept chuckling.  “Because my son, you always seemed to be the one, even as a padawan, who wanted to follow the rules, stick to the Code.  Ever so proper, refined, from your combat style to your personal dealings.  I recall you chastising me from time to time.” His face became serious.  “I think this is the best possible thing to happen in these dark times.  If I was to choose any on the Council to begin a legacy of the Force, I would want it to be Master Kenobi.”

            A legacy of the Force?  “I think…I think the hopes are on the Skywalker children,” Obi-Wan managed, but his brain suddenly filled with images of training his own child as a Jedi.  He remained silent for a long time, lost in thought, but came to when Sniff licked his face.  “Ew, Sniff.  Goodness, we need to find something to help with those nasal problems.” 

            “That animal does have a lot of mucus,” Qui-Gon said, reaching his glimmering hand up to the animal as if to pet him.  “But he feels deeply attached to you.  You were always so wonderful with animals, Obi-Wan.  You have a kind spirit, and this will come in handy as a father as well.”

            Hearing Qui-Gon’s approval seemed to lift a weight off Obi-Wan, but the Jedi’s previous comments still gave him pause.  A legacy of the Force.  No, everyone seemed to think the Chosen One, Anakin Skywalker, held the future.  And if not him (for how could that happen now?), then certainly his children.  Obi-Wan always took a back seat to Anakin, got used to it, and now felt uncertain about allowing his own child to take on the galaxy.  No, let the Skywalkers make the moves, play the game, Obi-Wan the perpetual teacher, the mentor, forever in the background. 

            He didn’t voice these views to Qui-Gon.  The thoughts of training Luke brought up the other pressing issue of the conflict with Beru and Owen.  Qui-Gon listened intently as they both arrived to the meditation garden, each taking a seat in their usual spots.

            “Considering how powerful Anakin is in the Force, his children are certain to be Force sensitive,” Qui-Gon said.  “But your Mayli is right, this is a difficult issue.  When the Jedi were an Order, taking children away from their families was considered just and noble, but now…I honestly do not know.”

            An idea lit up Obi-Wan, and he almost leaped to his feet.  “Couldn’t you ask Yoda?  Maybe see what he thinks.  Be the go-between.”

            “I don’t know…I…well…”

            “You told me you visit with him as well,” Obi-Wan said eagerly, not fully understanding Qui-Gon’s hesitance.

            “I do…I think,” said Qui-Gon.  “Yes, I know I’ve been there recently.  Yesterday…and I saw you the day before.”

            “No, the last time I saw you was weeks ago…I’ve lost count actually,” Obi-Wan said, puzzled.

            Qui-Gon stared at Obi-Wan, his mouth open a bit in surprise.  “Weeks?”

            “Yes.”

            Qui-Gon slumped down, his brow furrowing.  “I think I might be…losing myself.”

            “What?”

            “Sometimes I feel I am in multiple places at once, like with you or on Coruscant or even in the past, when I was an apprentice.  Other times, I feel like I’m nowhere.  A part of the energy of the universe…or in that grid between universes…or the pure light waves of a sun…or the deep void in between galaxies.  Sometimes, it’s exhausting to appear like this.  Sometimes I feel ready to…to…leave.”

            “You mean, become one within the Force,” Obi-Wan said, feeling a little sick.  Could he lose Qui-Gon again?

            “Yes.”

            “Qui-Gon…I…” Obi-Wan began.  “I’ve enjoyed…no…needed these conversations.  You left so suddenly, and…and…” he stopped, tears threatening.

            “My son, I’m not going just yet, but I’m feeling the pull more and more to join the sublime, the pure Living Force itself,” he said.  “But not before I see one of your cocktail routines.”

            Obi-Wan looked over at the makeshift bar, the bottles used for practice lying on the ground.  He took a deep breathe to regain composure, glad Qui-Gon changed the subject.  “Yes, next week I’ll be…”

            “Ben!” came Mayli’s voice, and he turned to see her emerging from their home, wearing an emerald green robe, probably one of the new items she received from the rebel on Ryloth.  The color made her light blonde hair shine like gold.  “Are you talking with Qui-Gon?”

            She walked up to the men, looking in the general direction of the Force ghost, knowing he usually sat on the bench next to Obi-Wan’s.  She took the seat across. 

            Qui-Gon turned to Obi-Wan. “She is quite tolerant of all this arcane Force nonsense.”

            Obi-Wan laughed and translated this to Mayli, who could not see nor hear anything from Qui-Gon.

            She spoke directly to Qui-Gon. “Well, I’m well versed in holocrons and Sith rituals.  Did he tell you about the baby?”

            The disjointed conversation went on for some time before Qui-Gon excused himself, with promises to try to talk with Yoda about the Luke issue.  He faded away, leaving Obi-Wan wondering if he would ever see his former master again.

            That evening, Obi-Wan sat reading more children’s stories, this time aloud to Mayli, who lie with her head in his lap, smile on her face.  He paused after a story to find a new selection.

            “Obi…I need to see my parents,” she said quietly.  “I think I’ll just go up the Corellian Run after the drop at Chirstophsis next week.”

            Obi-Wan put down his data pad as she sat up.  “Are you going to tell them about…about the baby?”

            “Yes,” she said.  “I just have so many questions for my mother.” She giggled.  “I tell you, I just feel so strange sometimes…and I want to talk to her.  And see my dad.  They should know they’re having a grandchild.”

            “I wish I could go,” sighed Obi-Wan

            Mayli raised an eyebrow.  “You do?  The in-laws, Ben?”

            “I consider them my family too, like you,” Obi-Wan said.  “And they just think you’re…how did your father word it?”

            “That I’m shacking up with some desert farm bum who can’t leave due to extreme space sickness,” she sighed.  “My dad is more bark than bite, Obi.  You’d like him if you met him.”

            “He thinks I’m some good-for-nothing desert loafer,” he said, remembering the message he heard on Mayli’s comm in the Womp Rat One after her first visit.  A slight argument ensued after, since Mayli thought she’d deleted the message, not wanting him to hear how her parents viewed her sudden change in lifestyle after disappearing completely for several months.  “What will he think now that you are pregnant?”

            “I think they’ll be happy.  And they will just need to accept not ever meeting you,” she said with finality.

            Obi-Wan didn’t feel so sure, but he always felt happy when Mayli got to see her family, twice since they’d defeated the Sith Scholars.  And he knew she needed to talk with her mother about the pregnancy.  He just felt frustrated; why couldn’t they have a normal relationship, get married, be a family out in the open?  No, he was a Jedi in hiding, probably number one on Darth Vader’s most wanted list.  And while the lie of him being too ill to travel to Corellia kept her parents in the dark, he also felt it painted a poor picture of him, and he always longed to impress, particularly Mayli’s parents.

            The next week, Obi-Wan stood outside their home, watching the Womp Rat One disappear into the sky, Sniff nuzzling into his neck.  The creature pulled back, leaving thick, green snot on Obi-Wan shoulder.

            “All right, Sniff, let’s see about getting you some relief,” he said, pulling out his data pad and looking up the list of allergy remedies he’d downloaded on his last trip to town.

            On Endor, Kell walked with his son Sky through the forest near the landing strip and Imperial outpost. The fresh air felt good in his lungs, but as mid-afternoon approached, he needed to return to his post.  Settling in front of the map of the galaxy, he decided to test his son’s geography.

            “Alright, Sky,” Kell said, pulling his son onto his lap with a groan.  He was getting big, growing up fast.  “Point out the Deep Core.”

            Sky pointed to the right spot.

            “Okay, how about the Hapes Consortium?”

            Sky took a little longer, but soon his small finger pointed to the correct section of the galaxy.

            “Daddy, now you point out the Corporate Sector.”

            Kell laughed, pointing to it, then began his work looking around for anything suspicious.  His eye fell on an area near Seswenna where new Imperial frequencies from the Core seemed to pop up every day.  Many of them showed encrypted coding.  He pointed out the area to Sky.

            “What do you think is going on there, son?”

            The boy leaned in closer, as if carefully considering the multi-colored lines.

            “Something bad,” the boy said plainly.

            Kell raised an eyebrow and looked down at his son.  “Why do you say that?  Those are Imperial codes.”

            Sky shrugged, then leaped off Kell’s lap to grab some of his toy animals and move toward his blanket fort across the room.  Kell turned back around toward the map, studying the Seswenna region.  Something bad…

            “Daddy, can you read _Hyperspace Dragon_ to me again tonight?” came Sky’s voice.

            “Sure,” Kell answered.  Dragon…ah, yes.  He hadn’t checked on the mysterious frequency in a while, the one in which he heard the word “Dragon.” He clicked over a few screens. 

            Another line seemed added, this time from Ryloth.  Tatooine, Ryloth, some Core world.  Kell nodded to himself. Definitely Hutt activity, most likely spice trade.  Still curious, and with not much else to do, he plugged the frequency into his personal mixer like before.  Just static.  Nothing.  Maybe next time. 

            Another hour passed, and Kell looked up to glance out the window.  Smiling, he jumped out of his seat. 

            “Sky, come here.  Ewoks near the landing strip!”

            Father and son watched from the window as a group of the creatures walked by, several carrying a larger animal, apparently dead, most likely dinner.   

            Mayli stepped up to her parents’ front door, feeling a bit nervous.  She’d commed ahead, saying she would be able to spend the night, so they had lots of time to talk.  How would her parents take the news?  Despite all her assurances otherwise, she knew they did not approve of her living with Obi-Wan.  The reasoning seemed logical, she had to admit; they never met him and had no reason to believe he was anything other than someone hiding out on Tatooine, living off her hard work. 

And while her father initially did not like her running contraband, he soon became involved in illegal dealings himself, as the company he worked for manufacturing freighters became commandeered by the Empire.  Their private clientele pushed out in favor of Imperial shipbuilding, her father helped run a line on the side making sure their previous customers still got service and avoided Imperial taxation.  The new rule of the galaxy seemed to beg for people to play both sides of the law.

Mayli raised her fist to knock on the door, but her mother, Rey Solamen, opened and grabbed her into a tight hug.  Slightly taller than Mayli, with the same coloring, only her blonde hair kept short, Rey was a bubbly funny woman, who complemented her husband, Xander, a grey haired tall broad-shouldered serious man, well.

“Oh, my baby,” she cried, pulling her daughter into the house.

Soon sitting in the living room, declining caf in favor of juice, Mayli caught up with her mom and dad.  Her father told her about the company, from which he planned to retire in a few years, Rey of dealings at the cosmetics firm where she worked in marketing.  Mayli talked about her job with the Hutt and the various deliveries she made recently.  Her father shook his head.

“Sounds like dangerous work, honey,” he said.  “I could get you a job back here, at the company and…”

Mayli sighed heavily, putting the drink down on the old sitting room table, the same they had when she’d been a child.  Her parents never seemed to have a lot of luxuries, but they made up for everything in love.  Or in the current case, sometimes stifling over-caring.

“Papa, listen.  Ben cannot leave Tatooine, absolutely cannot and…”

“Well, it just seems you are letting your whole life revolve around this man, and that is not the Mayli I know and raised,” he said, taking a sip of his drink.

“I love him,” Mayli said.  “And…”

“Sweetie, it’s just that you disappear for several months because of those…what were they?” her mom began.

“The Scholars.  I witnessed something, a murder, you know that.  Ben helped and…”

“You disappear, and we think you’re dead.  The whole family held a memorial, Mayli,” her mom continued.  “And then you show back up claiming to be on some nowhere world with some farm hand.”

“He’s not some farm hand.  He’s…”

“You should have stayed with Orton.  You know, he runs the bank now, Mayli,” her father said.

“Yes, you told me last time.  But Orton was boring.  You said so yourself,” Mayli accused her father.

“And some punk who can’t leave the planet isn’t?” he father asked.  “Mayli, we just don’t know anything about this man and…”

“I’m pregnant,” she blurted out, not meaning to, knowing it was the wrong time, but she simply had to get the words out there.

Silence followed.  A long silence.  Mayli tried to read their expressions, but found it impossible, despite knowing these two people her entire life.

Rey jumped out of her well-worn upholstered chair as Mayli rose, embracing her daughter. 

“Oh my…my baby is having a baby,” she cried, tears flowing, smile on her face. 

Mayli looked over her mother’s shoulder to see her father smiling too, but the smile soon fell off.

“With Ben?”

“Yes.”

Still looking unhappy, he embraced Mayli as well, and they all sat back down.

“How far along are you?” asked Rey, obviously delighted.  “Have you been taking vitamins?  Ohhh…I still have a couple of your baby things you can take.”

“I’m almost eight weeks, and everything is going fine.  I found out during a delivery on Alderaan, and the palace physician helped me,” Mayli said, feeling a bit of relief in having her mother so excited. 

“The palace physician?  Wow, we just used the public health clinic with you,” laughed Rey, looking toward her husband.  Xander snorted a laugh and stared at his caf cup.

The two women went back and forth for some time, Mayli finally fielding some questions to her mother that itched at her mind for some time, including the morning sickness, when she’d begin to show, how to deal with that obnoxious bloating feeling.  Rey excitedly talked away, but the two women glanced over at Xander from time to time, Mayli wondering when her father would finally explode.

When the conversation lulled, Mayli turned to her dad.  “Alright, papa, out with it.”

“Mayli,” he groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger, the same gesture he used when she had frustrated him as a teenager.  “I’m so happy…to be a grandfather.  Honestly, we thought you would never settle down.  And we were fine with that.”  He shared a glance with her mother.  “But…well, you’re going to move back here now, right?”

“Ben cannot leave Tatooine,” Mayli said, exasperated.

“Ben, Ben, Ben,” her father shouted, leaping up, finally emoting.  “We know nothing about this Ben except vague comments.  And now he’s knocked up my daughter.”

“Knocked up!?” yelled Mayli, jumping to her feet, angry, knowing the excess of hormones fueled her rage as well.  “I’m nearly 40 years old.  Ben is a good man, and…”

“How do we know that?”

“You don’t trust me?” she asked harshly.

Rey, now on her feet too, moved up to the father and daughter.  “How about…how about we go to Tatooine with you when you return tomorrow?  Meet Ben.”

Xander’s eyes lit up.  “Yes, I could take the week off.  I’m getting to be the old man on the job anyway.  And with the news of me being a grandfather…”

“I’ll call Cynd to cover for me.  She’s been looking for more hours,” Rey said and smiled at her husband.

Mayli stood silent as the two made their plans in front of her.  She opened her mouth to ask why neither thought it appropriate to ask her permission but paused.  They deserved to meet the father of their grandchild.  And once they met Obi-Wan, saw how wonderful and kind and amazing he was, they would understand, know she was in good hands. But she needed to give him proper warning, prepare himself.  She’d told him all about her parents, and he even expressed the desire to meet them several times before.  Well, now he’d have his chance.

            Jabba’s cantina jumped with music and rowdy sentients, people dancing, flirting, arguing, singing, and drinking.  The Bith band played a loud, upbeat number, and Obi-Wan began choreographing his routine to the beat of the music, enjoying the shocked expression he got from Solla, who stared in awe along with the others surrounding the bar.  Sure enough, more women than usual occupied the seats, and Obi-Wan charmed them into three full tip jars, all the while planning the big new refresher he’d build for him, Mayli, and the baby, making sure to design a larger shower for more soapy rendezvouses with his woman.

            Jabba the Hutt himself sat center in the cantina, and Obi-Wan’s antics often caught his eye, making him laugh loudly.  At one point early in the evening, Obi-Wan feared he’d need to excuse himself, as three clones entered, from their dress obviously employed as construction workers somewhere on-world.  Would they recognize the once General Kenobi?  But they sat and watched, laughing and cheering along with the others, not the slightest hint of recognition.  But why would they, Obi-Wan thought.  Most suspected him dead, and nobody would ever believe the once leader of the clone army tending bar at some backwater cantina. 

            Service lulled for a bit as the band played several new numbers and the dance floor filled.  Glancing about the room, Obi-Wan smiled, seeing Qui-Gon sitting in a booth near the ‘freshers, the people around him oblivious to his presence.  His master grinned broadly and nodded at Obi-Wan, who lifted a hand in a small wave.

            “Who is that man in the corner?” asked Solla, putting away clean glasses next to Obi-Wan. 

            Obi-Wan turned slowly to her.  Did she see Qui-Gon?

            “Who?  What man?” he asked, trying to sound casual but knowing his voice had an edge to it. 

            The elderly woman noticed.  “Don’t get your skivvies in a bunch, boy.  That older man in the corner.  Long hair.  Bit of a silver fox, of you ask me.  You just waved at him.”

            Obi-Wan let shock take over.  “You can see him?”

            “Plain as day,” she said, scrunching up her face and giving him a disapproving look.  “What’s your problem?”

            “It’s just that…I…well…his name is Qui-Gon,” stammered Obi-Wan.  “He’s a…a…relative.”

            “Is he married?” Solla asked, eyeing Qui-Gon, who still grinned toward the bar.

            “No,” said Obi-Wan, raising an eyebrow.

            Solla laughed.  “Been a while since I flirted with a man.  Seems to work for you, in getting the tips.  Bring him over an ale, tell him it’s on me.”

            She looked right at Qui-Gon and blew him a kiss, which made the Force ghost smile even broader and, to Obi-Wan’s utter shock, blew a kiss back.  Solla beamed and giggled as she turned back down the bar.  Obi-Wan popped the top of an ale he knew Qui-Gon couldn’t drink and walked over to the spirit.  Luckily, nobody sat too close, and Obi-Wan slid in beside Qui-Gon, placing the bottle on the table.

            “Solla sends this over with her regards,” Obi-Wan said under his breath, trying not to appear to be talking to himself.

            “She seems to be quite the spitfire, probably very ambitious in her youth.  Not one to be messed with, as evidenced from her heading the bar here,” he looked at the bottle, shaking his head.  “Should have flirted more in life, although I never had your charm, Obi-Wan.  I’ve enjoyed watching your little performance and…”

            “She can see you,” Obi-Wan interrupted.

            “Of course.  She’s Force sensitive,” Qui-Gon said, reaching for the bottle, his hand sliding right through.  He shrugged and sighed.

            Obi-Wan grabbed the bottle and took a large swallow.  Putting it down, he watched Solla, an old woman who spent most of her years on Tatooine, one time waitress moving to run her own restaurant in Mos Eisley to becoming the barkeep here in her golden years.  Hardworking, a bit cranky, but kind nonetheless.  And Force sensitive.  All her life, not even knowing.

            “How did she go unnoticed by the Jedi?” Obi-Wan whispered.

            Speaking normally, as no one else could hear him, Qui-Gon said, “Imagine all the trillions of sentients out there.  The Jedi only encounter a small percentage.  Not even one percent.  Think about that, Obi-Wan. How many out there are Force sensitive?”

            Possibilities flooded Obi-Wan’s mind…how many indeed?  Watching Solla, knowing her from the past few years, he felt glad she’d escaped becoming a Jedi.  How different her life would have been, perhaps not the struggle she experienced as a restauranteur, but she would most likely be dead, like the rest of them.

            Gradie suddenly appeared at the bar, talking to Solla.  She pointed toward Obi-Wan, and the man came running over.

            “Hey Ben,” he said, his eyes darting around, a puzzled expression on his face.  “Solla said you were over here with some silver fox.  Is that a code word?”

            Obi-Wan laughed.  “No…just a…a joke.  What’s up?”

            “I have Mayli on comm upstairs.  Says it’s urgent she speaks with you,” he said.

            Before Gradie finished the sentence, Obi-Wan leaped out of his seat, dashing toward the door leading to the back offices.  An emergency?  Something with the rebellion?  She wasn’t dropping a device this trip, had a weapons drop on Christophsis and then went to Corellia to see her parents.  Something with the baby?

            The room empty, he grabbed the comm.

            “Mayli, Mayli,” he said frantically.  “What is wrong?”

            “Ben, listen,” came Mayli’s voice.  “I’ll be home by tomorrow afternoon.  And I have some good…no bad…no…well, news.”

            “Are you all right?  The baby?  I told you we need to think about you getting a co-pilot and…”

            “My parents are with me.”

            The words hung in the air as a deep silence followed.

            “Ben?”

            “Yes, I’m here.  Sorry.  They’re with you?” he said, not believing he’d soon be meeting Mayli’s parents.

            “Yeah, but only for one night.  They could just get off for a week, and considering traveling…” she said.  “But they want to meet you, the father of their grandchild and all that.  The visit…didn’t go so well and…well, they want to meet you.” She sounded panicked.

            Obi-Wan took a deep breath.  “Mayli, don’t worry,” he said calmly, his voice not reflecting the panic he felt as well.  “Everything will be splendid.  I’ll be waiting for you tomorrow afternoon.”

            “Okay…it’s just…I’m really sorry, sweetie….” she said.

            “Do not worry.  Be safe.  I love you.”

            “I love you too,” she said.

            The comm disconnected, and Obi-Wan sat, staring at the wall.  Mayli’s parents, who thought him to be a do-nothing desert thug, would be arriving in less than a day.

            Obi-Wan had only been truly terrified a couple of times in his life.  Prepared, resourceful, intelligent, the Jedi could tackle most situations.  But meeting the parents of the woman he loved, the mother of his unborn child, left him physically shaking in front of the comm.    

         

 


	7. Compromise

**Chapter Seven**

**Compromise**

            Obi-Wan studied himself in the mirror, making sure his beard looked even, taking the pair of scissors to snip a stray hair.  There, he thought.  As perfect as he could get.  He walked around their home, making sure nothing seemed out of place, the pile of clothing Mayli got on her recent trip to Ryloth, and still hadn’t found a place for, stored neatly in their closet.  Obi-Wan himself looked pressed and polished, a gentleman, not the desert punk he knew Mayli’s parents pictured.  He felt determined to impress them.

            The evening before, when he returned to the bar after his call from Mayli, he could not hide his distress and vocalized his concerns to Solla.  The elderly woman brushed him off.

            “I know I tease you, Benny, but I would be thrilled if a daughter of mine brought home you as her mate,” she said.

            At closing time, as Obi-Wan cleaned glasses and Jabba moved to the residential section of the palace, Yarna came over to close the register, looking exhausted.

            “Love the new routine, Ben,” she said.  “But you seemed to lose steam the second half of the night.”

            “Mayli’s parents are making an impromptu visit tomorrow,” chimed in Solla from across the room.

            Yarna laughed.  “Oh Ben, you have nothing to worry about.  You are a fine man; Mayli is lucky, and they will see that.”

            Obi-Wan glanced longingly at the corner where Qui-Gon had sat, but the Force ghost disappeared sometime after Obi-Wan ran to answer Mayli’s call.  He sighed, knowing his former master did not have much experience with the whole concept of meeting the lover’s parents, but he longed to talk it out nonetheless.

            “Thank you, Yarna,” he said, realizing he had two potential helpers in front of him.  “Any advice?”

            “Well, complement their daughter, so they see how much you care for her,” Yarna said.

            “Wear your best clothes, nothing with any stains or anything smelling like booze,” Solla added.

            Obi-Wan brought his sleeve to his face and grimaced.  After a spill from earlier, he smelled strongly of whiskey, definitely reinforcing their slanted view of him.  He began to hurry in his end-of-shift duties, needing to get home to shower and get their house in order.

            Now he paced, occasionally going outside to practice his greeting to the Solamens with Sniff, who seemed to be doing a bit better with his allergies thanks to a topical herbal remedy Obi-Wan experimented with that week.

            The sound of the Womp Rat One, a familiar roar that always lifted Obi-Wan’s spirits, this time made a rock form in his stomach.  Running around from the eopie enclosure, he saw the ship slide skillfully into their underground cave/garage.  Straightening his already pristine tunic and slack ensemble, Obi-Wan started down the path to meet his unofficial in-laws.

            Voices traveled up before the family did.

            “Why in the world do you live out in the middle of nowhere?” came a deep male voice.  Xander, Mayli’s father.

            “More room,” he heard Mayli reply cheerfully.  Mock cheerful; Obi-Wan knew her moods.  “Mos Eisley and some of the other townships can be dangerous.”

            “All the more reason to move back to Corellia…” he began.

            “Which has a higher crime rate,” Mayli argued.

            “Only because it has a higher population,” her father retorted.

            Oh dear, thought Obi-Wan, but then a lighter, delightful female voice reached his ears, sounding almost like Mayli, but Obi-Wan knowing it belonged to her mother, Rey.  “Now you two stop,” she said.  “I think this area is beautiful.  Look the view you and Ben have.  Very romantic.  You should take up painting.  I remember you took those art classes during your schooling and…”

            But the family stopped and froze as Obi-Wan finally came into view.  Both Mayli’s parents, slightly taller than their daughter, studied him.  Rey, her light blonde hair and smiling face, made Obi-Wan feel he might be looking at Mayli in 20 years’ time.  Xander, handsome with a very stoic expression, seemed slightly more terrifying than Obi-Wan imagined.  Swallowing hard, he quickened his step to meet the guests.

            “Shake the hand of the father,” advised Solla the evening before.  “But embrace her mother.  She’d be like Mayli, and Mayli is a hugger.”

            Obi-Wan followed Solla’s advice, then turned to Mayli, embracing her carefully, planting a chaste kiss on her lips.

            “My, you are the looker,” said Rey, as Obi-Wan gestured for the group to come up to the house. 

The smell of a roast he’d started, nerf meat Yarna thrust into his hands as he left the cantina the night before, wafted down the hill, and he shared a covert wink with Mayli.  She winked back but still looked nervous.

“Thank you,” he said to Rey.  “I could have sworn you were Mayli’s sister, one she didn’t mention having.”

Rey giggled, and took his offered arm.  “You are quite the little charmer, aren’t you?  Just like Mayli said.”

Obi-Wan heard Xander say something indistinguishable under his breath behind him, but he felt a little better, having at least two-thirds of the Solamens on his side.

“I’m so glad you could make it out to Tatooine.  I apologize for not being able to visit your home.  But I’ve suffered from extreme space sickness for years.  Quite debilitating,” he said as they entered the house, taking seats in the living room.  “Caf?  Water?  Corellian ale?”

Everyone requested water, and Obi-Wan fetched cups, returning and sitting with the family.  Silence followed.

Mayli locked eyes with Obi-Wan, smiling gratefully at his attempt to make everything perfect.  Their home, which was usually quite tidy, looked pristine, and he resembled a model in a men’s fragrance holo-ad.  And he smelled wonderful, something new.  She wondered if his friends at Jabba’s helped him out because she doubted the Jedi Temple offered classes in how to meet your in-laws.

The silence continued, so Mayli found a safe topic, “So over there we are going to construct the baby’s room.  Ben has been earning some extra money now as a bartender and…”

“Bartender!” cried Xander, his voice booming in the small space.  “Who the Force are you, son?  My daughter, a pilot, shacks up with someone who can’t leave the atmosphere? Where are you from? Who are you?”

Mayli stared at Obi-Wan, who seemed more nervous than when he faced the Sith Dia in combat.  He opened his mouth to speak, but Xander continued.

“I know exactly who you are,” he hissed.  “Some ex-spice addict who my Mayli, with her good heart, took pity on, and now you are leeching off her work, lounging around here as she risks her neck running around the galaxy.  And now you got her pregnant!  My grandchild! And the father is some bum who…”

“He’s a Jedi!” Mayli yelled, leaping out of her seat.

Three shocked faces stared back at her in the silence that followed.  She looked from her mother to her father to see their mouths hanging open in disbelief.  Finally resting her eyes on Obi-Wan, she saw his face pale in fright, his head shake slightly.  No.

“Yes!” Mayli vocalized to him.  “They think you’re some do-nothing, and that’s not true!  You are brave and smart and noble.  And they need to know who the father of their grandchild is, a Jedi!”  Her blood ran hot and fast.   

Rey spoked first.  “Mayli, all the Jedi are gone.  Killed for treason against the Empire.”

“Not all.  And the Emperor, he’s evil.  He’s a Sith.  Darth Vader too,” she said.

“A Sith?  Is that a made up word?” her father said, a look of concern on his face.  “Perhaps the heat here might be too much for you, Mayli.  Tomorrow you can…”

“I’ll prove it!” she walked quickly over to the small wooden chest containing the lightsabers and pulled out Obi-Wan’s. 

“Mayli, no,” Obi-Wan said, but with a snap-hiss, she ignited the blade.

“Where did you get that?” he father said, eyes fixated on the blue.

“From Ben.  This is his.  His name is Obi-Wan Kenobi, and he was a Master on the Jedi Counsel,” Mayli said, noticing Obi-Wan fall back into his chair, a hand on his forehead.  But she didn’t care.  They needed to know.  “He fought bravely for the galaxy, saved countless lives.  He was the one who defeated General Grievous!”

“The Jedi betrayed the galaxy, and they are all gone!” her father roared.  “He’s a liar and obviously a thief.”

Mayli turned to Obi-Wan, pleading.  “Tell them!  Show them, Obi!  You’re not some desert thug.  They deserve to know.  And you deserve their respect.”

“Mayli, we respect your decision to be with Ben, regardless, right Xander?” said Rey.

“I just can’t stand this, my daughter needing to lie because…” but he was stopped, staring at the room around them.

Obi-Wan stood, his hand outstretched at the table, all four of their water cups levitating.  Carefully, he elevated the water out of the cups, allowing the liquid to float in a glob.  Mayli noticed him concentrating further, and he began to raise everything in the room, the pillows on the sofa, the trinkets on the shelf, and finally, the three Solamens.

After several moments, he allowed everything to settle, the water landing back in the cups with a loud plop.  Only he stood, and he turned to address her parents directly.

“My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi.  I was taken from my family at a very young age by the Jedi, and I do not know where I’m originally from,” he said formally.  “I grew up in the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.  I became a padawan under the apprenticeship of Qui-Gon Jinn, who perished before I became a Jedi Knight.  But before he died, he taught me combat, political negotiations, and the ways of the Living Force.  I, in turn, apprenticed Anakin Skywalker, who…who died in the Jedi purge.  Several years ago, the Council granted me the position of Master, and I then became a general during the Clone Wars.  I managed to survive the end of the war and the Emperor’s attack on the Jedi Order.”

Mayli noticed Xander and Rey seemed on the edges of their seats, and she felt herself swell with pride for Obi-Wan.

“I came to Tatooine, a planet I knew to be sparsely populated, to hide, to live out the rest of my days, as the last Jedi,” he continued, Mayli noticing he left out key points, things her parents did not need to know, for their own safety.  “About a hundred days into my exile, when I reached a point when I thought I would break and either wither away or do something dangerous, your daughter shows up in the hut next to mine, hiding out as well.  And…she saved me.” He stopped again, Mayli noticing his voice break slightly.

Her parents, as well as Obi-Wan, now looked at her.

“She saved me,” Obi-Wan repeated.  “She brought me back from the edge with her kindness and her humor and her love.  And I realized I did not need to exist all alone.  Your daughter healed me, and I love her with every atom of my being. And I am willing to do anything to make her happy, anything to take care of her.  Yes, I am a farm hand.  Yes, I am a bartender.  But I am also a Jedi, Mayli’s life companion, and soon, a father.”

Mayli kept her eyes locked with Obi-Wan’s, feeling tears streaking down her cheeks.  She finally tore her gaze away to see her parents staring in awe at him, Rey’s eyes glistening, her father smiling.

Obi-Wan sat down and grabbed one of the cups, taking a large swallow.

“A Jedi?” Xander asked.  “May we…may we ask some questions?”

Obi-Wan nodded, but Mayli broke in.  “You cannot tell anyone,” she said.  “Nobody knows except me…and now you.  The Empire would want him dead.”

Xander nodded, then turned back to Obi-Wan.  For the next several hours, throughout dinner and beyond, Obi-Wan answered their questions, told his story.  He wisely refrained from mentioning the twins, Anakin being Darth Vader, and his and Mayli’s involvement in the impending rebellion, but everything else rang true.  Her parents seemed in awe of him.

“I only saw a Jedi one time,” he father said as they once again lounged in the living room, the suns having set long ago.  “He came to work one day, looking at purchasing new ships for the Jedi Order.  Small green creature…”

Obi-Wan smiled.  “That was Master Yoda.  He was also responsible for a lot of my training.”

Mayli noticed Obi-Wan did not mention Yoda remained alive, and he used the past tense on his old friend.  Ever careful, she thought.  But she appreciated the truth he did tell her parents, especially since she forced his hand.  Still, he seemed to like being himself with them, and Mayli felt a bit relieved.

“So the Emperor is a Force user?” asked Rey.  “Tell me more about the Sith.”

As Mayli and Obi-Wan only had the one bedroom, Rey and Xander slept in the Womp Rat One.  Lying next to Obi-Wan in the dark, after all had gone to bed, she leaned her head on his chest.

“You’re not angry I told them you are a Jedi?” she asked.

“On the contrary, I couldn’t be more pleased.  You made the right call.  They do deserve to know the truth,” he said, then chuckled.  “And the way your father looked at me…well, you don’t need to be Force sensitive to know he wanted to tear my head off.”

Mayli laughed.  “They both really like you.  And now they can come visit regularly!”  She thought of her mother coming over after the baby arrived, helping her learn all the little tasks a new mom needed to know.  She thought of her father sitting in their little garden, holding the baby and making funny faces to make the child laugh.  Mayli felt happy and complete as she snuggled into Obi-Wan. 

“How often is regularly?” he asked as she reached the edge of sleep.

She giggled softly as she drifted away.

Mayli woke with a start, alone in bed, full sunlight shining into their bedroom.  She heard Obi-Wan and her parents laughing and talking from the living room.  How long had she slept?  She whisked out of bed, donned a robe, and left the room.

“Ah, there is my sleepy head,” laughed Xander.

Obi-Wan rose and kissed her.  “Breakfast, darling?”

She nodded, feeling a bit embarrassed.  She should have been up to play hostess to her parents.  “I’m so sorry.  I must have…” she began, but Rey interrupted.

“Oh honey, you need rest.  You work so much, and I know you, rarely slowing down.  But you’re carrying another life.  You need to take it easy,” she said.

“I used the ship’s comm to call that town…um…” he father said.

“Anchorhead,” chimed in Obi-Wan from the kitchen.

“Yes, we reserved seats on a transport home, so you don’t need to do any unnecessary travel.  You just relax.  Let Ben here take care of you,” her father finished.

“We’ll drop them by later this afternoon,” Obi-Wan said, returning from the kitchen and handing her a plate of food.  She looked down at the full plate, knowing now for sure this to be Yarna’s doing.  While they often had vegetables and fruit from the garden, this amount of meat was a luxury.

“And speaking of taking care of you, we were just talking how you need to get a co-pilot,” her father said.  “Seems Ben has mentioned it before, and you know we feel the same.”

Mayli, about to take a bite, put her utensil down and glared in Obi-Wan’s direction.  The whole co-pilot matter became an issue of contention following the discovery of her pregnancy.  Mayli insisted, again and again, she flew alone.  And she and Obi-Wan argued several times over the issue.  How dare he bring her parents into their debate!

She opened her mouth to protest, but her father let out a loud laugh.  “Yup, I know that look!  But listen Mayli, you’ll need help, especially as that baby grows.  And…”

“I fly alone!” she hissed at everyone but received kind looks back from all three.  Her mother nodded gently, and Mayli realized they all seemed to be humoring her, thinking she might be experiencing a pregnancy induced mood swing.  She took a deep breath and turned her attention back to her food.

But Obi-Wan unwisely continued with the topic.  “I told your parents I know a couple of good candidates.  We can begin this afternoon.”

Mayli forced a smile in this direction and through pursed lips said, “Oh, we’ll talk more later, Obi.”

His eyes darkened slightly, and she knew he got her intention.  He cleared his throat.  “Your parents have been telling me about your childhood, some of your favorite things growing up, more about your family.”

“Nothing embarrassing?” she asked her father, pushing the co-pilot argument aside.

“Oh, just a couple of things.  What’s the use of having a kid if you cannot sometimes embarrass them?” he chuckled.  “You’ll see.”

They spent a pleasant morning together, and as her and Obi-Wan watched the transport containing her parents leave the port in Anchorhead, she felt a deep relief.  Everything went well.  Everything except…

She turned to Obi-Wan, who stood with her in front of the Womp Rat One, staring at the sky.  He turned to look at her, grinning.  “Well, that went very well.  I like your parents a lot, and they seemed to…”

“I cannot believe you all teamed up on me about the whole co-pilot issue!” she cried.

“Oh…okay, so we’re talking about that now,” he said, his face falling.

“Yes!  And don’t patronize me, Jedi,” she spat, heading up the ramp.  “You and my parents think that I’m being unreasonable because I’m pregnant…but I don’t need the help!”

“But you will,” Obi-Wan argued, closing up the ship as she stomped to the cock pit.  “And…whoa!”

But Mayli took off, hearing a satisfying clatter as Obi-Wan struggled down the hall in her rough start. 

“Are you out of your mind?” yelled Obi-Wan angrily as he entered the cockpit and took a seat beside her. 

“Yes, I’m crazy pregnant Mayli,” she scowled at him.  “You all give me these loving looks, like I don’t understand.  But I do.  I take care of myself.  I’ve taken care of myself for years.”

“Well, you’re not alone anymore,” said Obi-Wan, reaching out to her, but she shrugged away.

“Don’t touch me,” she snapped. 

“For goodness sake, Mayli, we just care about you,” said Obi-Wan, obviously exasperated. 

“We, we, we…now you and my parents are all buddies, you can just tell me what to do, boss me around,” she said, accelerating fast across the desert, happy to see Obi-Wan reach for his crash webbing.  “I’m an excellent pilot.  I don’t want any help.  I don’t need it.  You cannot tell me what to do.”

“That is my child too,” he said, gripping tightly to the seat handles.

“But my body…and my ship,” she yelled, decelerating suddenly as they came near the mountains.  She pushed the ship up, gaining altitude quickly, hearing Obi-Wan groan.  Good…let him get sick, the scoundrel.

“You are the most unreasonable and stubborn woman in this sector of the galaxy!” Obi-Wan yelled.

Mayli turned to face him as they summited the mountains.  He glared at her, his blue eyes a storm, and Mayli immediately felt aroused.  Did he always have to look so damned attractive?  She remembered a past argument, over digging another well for the plumbing, in which they’d both raged at one another then ended up making love all afternoon. 

Despite her anger, she did love that he argued with her because he simply wanted her to be taken care of.  So noble, so sweet, so Obi-Wan.  And right now, so highly irritating because she knew he was right.  She just didn’t want a co-pilot.  She did not share her ship.

The couple remained quiet the rest of the quick journey home, the Womp Rat running at high speed.  Stomping up the path, Mayli entered the house first and walked straight into their bedroom, slamming the door behind her.  She heard Obi-Wan sit with a heavy, angry sigh onto the sofa.

Throwing herself onto the bed, Mayli once again felt her blood heat up with arousal, Obi-Wan’s scent everywhere.  Punching the pillow, she cursed.  She wanted him, badly.  Now.  But she was still angry, not giving in.  But maybe they could call a temporary truce and…

No, he would construe her solicitation as giving in.  She knew him well.  But the more she lie sprawled on the bed, the more turned on she became.  She could take care of it herself…but why, when someone so skilled and who knew her body so well sat mere yards away. 

Mayli looked over to the open closet, seeing the clothing she got on Ryloth hung neatly, Obi-Wan’s work.  She leaped up and pulled out the silk blue shift, her favorite enticing piece she received.  While some of the others seemed more complicated, one lacy number with a variety of ties Mayli had yet to figure out, this one was beautifully simple.  She stripped to nothing, and pulled the shift over her head.  The silk touching her body felt wonderful, the tunic reached only to her mid-thigh, and the thin straps revealed her strong arms well.  The neckline scooped to barely cover her breasts above her nipples.  She glanced at the mirror and quickly took down her hair, shaking it out.  Feeling sexy, she threw open the door and walked into the living room to stand before him.

Obi-Wan sat skulking in the living room, hearing Mayli move around their bedroom.  What in the…

The door flew open, and she stood before him, her platinum locks flowing, wearing the tiny silk tunic he’d hung up the morning before, taking his time to allow the fabric to run over his hands, imagining Mayli’s curves underneath.  And now here she stood, wearing it.

Obi-Wan felt himself harden instantly, and he licked his lips, hungry to feel her against him.

“Get undressed,” she said softly.

Obi-Wan stood up, eagerly removing his pants and shirt, as she walked slowly toward him.  While he felt angry, he did enjoy a good argument with Mayli, her passion always so palpable.  He loved her independence.  But her donning the outfit now…was she giving in?  Sex and being right?  Ah, yes, a good afternoon indeed. 

She pushed him back onto the sofa and jumped into his lap, straddling him, Obi-Wan realizing she wore nothing but the blue tunic, which seemed to match his lightsaber color.  He wondered if she planned it.

Her mouth took over his, and he kissed her deeply, beginning to run his hands along her back, the silk fabric delightfully enticing to touch.  She moaned into him, as he moved to cup her breasts, his thumbs flicking over her nipples, the silk again increasing his arousal.

She moved in a grinding motion on him, and he knew he wouldn’t last long.  He never seemed to during make-up sex.

“I’m glad you see things my way, love,” he murmured, then gasped as she nibbled on the soft skin of his neck.

“Oh, I’m not getting a co-pilot,” she whispered, her hot breath tickling him.  “But I am getting some Obi-Wan.”  She giggled, but he gently pushed her shoulders, so they both looked at each other.

“Wait, so you want to make love when we’re still in a fight?” he said.

“Well, we wouldn’t be in a fight if you would just drop the issue,” she said, then ground on him again, her private area pressing against his erection.

Taking all his will power not to give in, he removed his hands from her body and crossed them across his chest.  “Mayli, I am not going to drop this.  You need to get someone to help you.  And since I cannot come, it makes sense to hire help.”

“Obi-Wan, just make love to me now, and we can talk later,” she cooed into him, biting his earlobe.

“No,” he said weakly, knowing he sounded unconvincing.  He loved when she came on to him, this time quite strong. But he wasn’t giving in…goodness, he was stubborn too.

Mayli slid off his lap and slumped into the chair across from him, Obi-Wan keeping his arms folded, but his erection not going anywhere anytime soon.  From her positioning, Mayli revealed quite a bit of herself, and he longed to touch the delicate blue fabric again.  Maybe he should just abandon the argument and…

“Well, fine,” she said, in an over dramatic pouting voice.  “I’ll just take care of myself.”

Obi-Wan’s brow furrowed, not understanding at first, but then he watched her stretch out onto the chair, her hands running over her body.  All right, he thought, he could just watch.  He’d show her that he wasn’t going to bend to her will, especially when she’d been so unreasonable earlier. 

But watching Mayli touch herself pushed Obi-Wan’s desire over the edge.  He swallowed hard as he watched the fingers of one of her hands dance across her chest before pulling aside the fabric and caressing her own breast.  The other hand dipped between her legs, the area still covered by the shift.  Mayli moaned softly, and Obi-Wan felt his resolve shatter as his member pressed almost painfully against his underwear. 

Leaping to his feet, he scooped Mayli into his arms, carried her to their bedroom, and threw her softly onto the bed.  Quickly removing his briefs, he fell down on top of her, loving the feel of her soft body underneath the delicate silk.

“This doesn’t mean you are right,” he said before moving aside the silk and taking one of her breasts in his mouth, his penis sliding against her wet folds.

“What does it mean?” she giggled, Obi-Wan running his left hand up and down her body, slightly tickling her.

“That I love you, and you are irresistible and…ah….yes,” he groaned in relief as he pressed himself into her.

“I love you…oh…yes…hard…please,” she moaned back.

He drove into her, thrusting hard and fast, and they both looked at each other, grinning, foreheads pressed together.  Obi-Wan enjoyed looking into her eyes when they made love, this time no different.  She saw her violet eyes widen, a beautiful smile spreading across her face, her nails digging into his shoulders slightly, and he released into her, feeling the deep relief both experienced as he throbbed to completion.

Both spent, they remained pressed together, and Obi-Wan wanted to remain inside her all afternoon, the deep intimacy of their act, of their life together, making him want to be as close as possible to her. Her face became suddenly serious as she brushed a hair away from his forehead.

“I’ll get a droid,” she said.

“A droid?”

“Yes, like an astromech or something, for the ship,” she said.  “Is that a good compromise?”

Obi-Wan smiled and nodded, kissing her softly on the nose. 

“And no more flights the final month of your pregnancy,” he said.

Mayli rolled her eyes but nodded.  “Yarna recommended that as well.  And some of the pregnancy texts.” She smiled.  “Thank you for caring about me…and taking care of me.”

“Thank you,” he said, burrowing his face into her hair, breathing in her scent, happy to have found a compromise.  For now.

      

 


	8. Cave Art

**Chapter Eight**

**Cave Art**

Kell leaned up against one of the enormous trees on the Endor moon, staring up to the small amount of sunlight peeking in through the canopy of green.  Beside him, Sky worked on his data pad, doing arithmetic problems, and Kell felt proud his boy was already two years ahead of the programming prescribed for his age.  Yawning, Kell took a deep breath of the fresh, mid-afternoon air, then checked the time.  The supply transport usually arrived about this time, and since they were not more than a kilometer from the landing strip, he knew he’d hear the ship.

            Suddenly, the pleasant sounds of the forest, the wind in the trees, the water breaking in the nearby creek, the gentle hum of insects, became replaced with a violent metallic roar.  Both Kell and Sky leaped in surprise before getting to their feet.

            “The ship is loud today,” observed Sky.

            “Sounds like more than one,” Kell said, nervous to see what he’d find upon returning to his post.  “Come on.  We better head back.  Quickly now.”

            Hurrying through the woods, the father and son soon came to the clearing.  Taking Sky’s hand, Kell approached, seeing not the usual one small transport, but five, one of the ships a rather elegant looking yacht.  A couple of stormtroopers stood about, but Kell’s eye fell on the cluster of Imperial officers gathered around a figure he’d only seen on the holonews.  The pointed, bony face of Grand Moff Wilhuff Tarkin stood out amongst the crowd, and he radiated power. His uniform pressed and covered in decorations, he spoke in clipped, stern sentences to the groups of officers as Kell approached, holding tightly to Sky’s hand.  Glancing down at his son, he saw Sky staring, fascinated, at Tarkin.

            “Look around, see where force fields can be constructed, take measurements on gravity, proximity to the sun and other planets in this system, etc.,” Tarkin instructed.  “We need at least four back up construction locations, and it would serve us well to have things all set up and ready to go in case the station needs to be relocated.”

            Kell now lingered at the back of the group, and as the officers dispersed, he found himself standing in front of Tarkin.

            “Sir, I am Kell Jett, radio expert stationed here on Endor,” he said.

            Tarkin’s piercing light eyes stared over his hooked nose at Kell, and despite the pleasant day, Kell felt cold.  Tarkin’s gaze shifted to Sky.

            “Who is this child?” he asked.

            “My name is Sky,” his son answered before Kell had a chance to respond.  “And I am two years ahead on my arithmetic.”

            Tarkin raised an eyebrow and smirked.  “Excellent. Perhaps a future technician for the Empire, or do you have aspirations for leadership?”

            “I want to become an anthropologist,” Sky said matter-of-factly, Kell admiring how his son could be so confident in the face of such an imposing figure.  Of course, Sky did not know the power Tarkin held over billions of sentients.  “My dad taught me how to take notes on observations, and I like to draw.  I study the Ewoks.”

            “Ewoks?” Tarkin’s brow furrowed.

            “Um…yes…they are the native species on this planet.  Sentient.  Tribal,” said Kell.

            “Could they pose a problem if we decide to set up operations here?” asked Tarkin, a level of urgency in his voice. 

            Kell felt his stomach knot.  Operations?  Construction?  He did not like the sound of this; he rather enjoyed the solitude, could feel himself healing after the tragedies of the past few years.

            Then he felt another nagging feeling in his chest.  He’d seen on the holonews and heard through Imperial-only channels he occasionally listened in on, how the Empire handled species that got in their way.  He’d been shocked to learn about the enslavement of the Wookies.  The way Tarkin questioned him about the Ewoks made Kell very nervous, especially since he and Sky had gotten to know, albeit afar, the local tribe.

            “Oh no,” Kell said, trying, probably too hard, to sound casual.  “The Ewoks are simple, keep to themselves.”

            “Good workers?” asked Tarkin, bringing one boney hand up to his face, his long fingers dancing on his chin in thought.

            “They…um…well…” Kell stammered, but Sky interrupted.

            “I could go get my notes!” the boy cried, now excited.

            Tarkin’s face lit up in amusement, and he chuckled.  To Kell the sight and sound seemed almost sinister.

            “Not necessary, my boy,” Tarkin said.  “This place would be a back-up to a back-up location.  Probably unnecessary.  But if we do end up here, I will assuredly contact you.”  He turned to Kell.  “I noticed there have been no reports of anything unusual.”

            Kell shook his head, but then a thought occurred to him: the mysterious frequency connecting Tatooine, Ryloth, a Core World, and most recently, Nar Shaddaa.  He’d plugged in his own equipment a couple times a week, but only picked up random words, too common to form any understanding.

            “I think a new drug enterprise is forming between the Hutts.  I’ve noticed a new frequency pop up.  Doesn’t appear to be malicious against the Empire, looking at the planets connected but…”         

            Tarkin nodded.  “Thank you.  Give the list of planets to my second, and we’ll have a look.”

            And without any further discussion, Tarkin turned and walked away.  An hour later, the five ships left, the usual supplies put away for Kell and Sky.  Watching his son draw a picture of Tarkin and his ships before he began his evening observations, Kell felt a deep sense of foreboding.

            Obi-Wan grinned over the group of middle-aged human women flirting with him at the bar to see Mayli walk through the door.  She spotted him immediately and gave him her best smile.  She glowed, and Obi-Wan found her more and more beautiful by the day.  Now thirteen weeks into her pregnancy, she began to show, and now everyone at Jabba’s, even the Hutt himself, knew.

            Mayli took a seat at the bar, away from the other customers.  She seemed in good spirits, having done on-planet runs that entire week.  Obi-Wan worked the bar alone that evening, and they planned to spend the night before returning to their homestead for a couple days off together, working on construction of the baby’s room. 

            Obi-Wan gestured to Mayli, indicating that he would be down to talk in a moment, but she flashed him a smirk and banged on the bar with her palm.

            “Barkeep!” she shouted.  “Get your hot ass down here this instant!”

            Several nearby regulars roared with laughter, and Obi-Wan gave her a mock frown.  “Patience, woman,” he called back.

            After serving the others and fixing her a smoothie filled with the best fruits from the crate that arrived that afternoon, he leaned over the counter for a kiss.

            “How was Mos Espa?” he asked.

            She shrugged.  “Same as always.  Nothing ever changes.”  She leaned in and said covertly, “Any news of a drop?”

            Obi-Wan nodded.  “Naboo.  I’m very familiar with that world…and the species of your contact.  We’ll talk tonight.”

            Mayli took a sip of her drink thoughtfully.  “Isn’t that the homeworld of the Emperor?”

            “Yes,” Obi-Wan said, shaking his head, remembering when he first met Palpatine.  Obi-Wan had no idea he stood right next to a Sith Lord.  He studied Mayli, who appeared thoughtful.  “What is it?”

            “Well, I was just thinking about the Scholars and…and…well, what they were doing out there in the Unknown Regions.  Their front as scientists…that wasn’t a lie, a false cover.  They really were scientists.  I saw their labs.  You saw the facility.  And it wasn’t just about the holocrons because I saw all three sitting in the library together, and the vast majority of the Scholars were around the ship, in their labs,” Mayli said.  “So…what were they doing?  And…well…do you think Palpatine has labs like that?”

            Obi-Wan ran his hand over his beard thoughtfully.  He’d be lying if he said he hadn’t considered it before, pondered the kind of dark experiments Palpatine, and possibly his master before him, performed.  Several Jedi in the Order pursued the sciences, from physical to biological, and the relationship to the Force.  Why would the Sith be any different?

            “Oh, I should maybe try to go to his childhood home while on Naboo,” she continued, sounding almost excited.  “I’ve seen it on the holonews…they offer tours now!  And I know how Sith work and could see if…”

            “What?!” Obi-Wan felt his jaw drop, and he began to laugh at the audacity of her idea.  “That would be…”

            “Crazy?” she frowned.

            Obi-Wan stopped laughing and considered her for a moment.  While he enjoyed Mayli’s pregnancy so far, how she radiated love and light in the Force, how she craved strange food combinations and quite often, him, how she would lie across from him on her bench in their meditation garden, staring at the sky, her hand draped across her growing belly, he also feared the occasional mood swing.  But before he could respond, she sighed.

            “Yeah, it’s crazy,” she said.  “But you just gotta wonder.”

            Obi-Wan opened his mouth to speak, but a gruff voice called him from down the bar.  He turned to find the tall figure of a Ho’Din motioning for him.  Winking at Mayli, he went back to work.  After another fifteen minutes of checking on customers, he found her at a booth, playing cards with Drag, Gradie, Wires, and Sel, running the table like usual. 

            The next morning, flying the Womp Rat One across the desert, Mayli talked with Obi-Wan about the planet of Naboo and the Gungans, who seemed to have a quickly growing rebel movement in defiance of the recent incidents in the human royal house.  She noticed he spoke with a mix of fondness and sadness about the world.

            After a lull in the conversation, she saw Obi-Wan glance back at the old R2 unit they’d purchased from the Jawas a few weeks back, her supposed co-pilot compromise.  The droid remained harnessed to a passenger chair to keep it from rolling around, and she’d only turned it on once since they bought it in order to put in her ship’s codes.  Otherwise, the little gold, white, and green machine stayed turned off.

            “So, how has the droid been working?” he asked.

            “Don’t know.  Haven’t needed it yet,” Mayli answered, making the challenge in her tone evident.     

            Turning her attention to the instrument panel, she heard Obi-Wan sigh gruffly, but he wisely did not respond.

            While Mayli could fly the route back to Water and their homestead beyond with her eyes closed, she normally kept all of her instruments on, and she now found herself looking at one sensor with interest.

            “Obi, there’s something in the middle of the desert, just ahead,” she said, zooming in the camera.  “Looks like a person.  No transport, bantha, or eopie.”

            Obi-Wan leaned over to look at the image, still blurry due to their distance.  “That’s concerning.  Both suns have been up for a while.  It’s dangerous to be out in the heat of the day, unprotected.”

            “Maybe they’re headed toward that outcropping of rocks,” Mayli said, but gasped as the image became clearer.  “No!  It’s a Tusken child.  He looks hurt.  I’m putting the ship down.”

            Landing a ways off from the child, Mayli hurried with Obi-Wan down the ramp.  The desert, usually a quiet place on a still day, resonated with the child’s cries and screams.  Pausing to look around to check for a group of Sand People, the couple saw nobody.  Sliding in the sand to kneel next to the Tusken, Mayli felt her stomach tighten.  The child lie on its side, sobbing, and Mayli saw a strange tentacle from beneath the sand wrapped tightly around the leg, blood oozing everywhere.  Dehydrated and injured, the child seemed disoriented, swatting at Mayli and Obi-Wan weakly.

            “What is it?” Mayli said, at the same time pulling out her vibroblade.  “Relative of the sarlacc?”

            Obi-Wan looked at the tentacle in disgust, then pulled out the water bottle he’d grabbed on their way out and put it to the child’s lips.  The Tusken drank, and Mayli, having never been this close to one before, studied the tightly wrapped garments, the goggles, her (or was it his) mouth the only thing visible.  He (or she) looked about five years old, by human standards.

            “Should we just cut it?” Mayli asked.

            Obi-Wan closed his eyes, his hand hovering over the strange creature.  He finally looked up at her, surprised.

            “I sense nothing,” he said, worried.

            “Maybe it’s dead?” Mayli asked, then screamed herself as the child’s cries became shriller.  The tentacle moved, tightening its grip and pulling the child further into the sand.

            Obi-Wan didn’t hesitate.  Grabbing the vibroblade from Mayli, he hacked into the creature, and a high-pitched wail came from beneath the earth.  The piece attached to the Tusken fell off while the rest of the creature disappeared. 

            Despite having only been out in the desert for mere minutes, Mayli could feel sweat sliding down her back.  She couldn’t imagine what the child felt.  Still, she did not want to take the Tusken into the Womp Rat One.  From her minimal knowledge of the Sand People, she knew them to be quite intelligent and wary of others, and she did not want to be seen as a kidnapper.  Looking around frantically, she saw a small cave cut into the rock formation.  Shade. 

            Obi-Wan still studied the ground with a disturbed look, so Mayli scooped up the child and headed toward the cave.  The child weighed a bit more than she expected, and her muscles began to ache, but he (or maybe she) needed to get out of the sun and rehydrated.  And Obi-Wan needed to see if that strange creature was a threat.

            “Mayli!”  Obi-Wan yelled, and he ran up, grabbing the half-conscious child away from her.  “For goodness sake, you are pregnant and need to take it easy.”

            “Yes,” Mayli panted, seeming to surprise Obi-Wan with her willingness to cooperate.  She followed them into the small cave.

            Much cooler than the outside, the cave was shallow, the walls lined with drawings.  Mayli knew the Sand People did not have a written language, but she’d seen occasional mineral chalk artwork done by them in the past, and these pieces often told a story.  Still, before she could admire the work, they needed to attend to the child.

            Obi-Wan jetted back to the ship to get water, and Mayli propped the child up against the cave wall.  The Tusken stirred and cried out.

            “No, no, sweetie,” Mayli cooed in a calm voice, sitting down next to the child, ripping part of her robe to wrap around the bloody wound.  Nothing appeared broken, but the child was most likely in some pain.  The child continued to whimper, so Mayli began to sing, putting her arm around the child and swaying back and forth slowly.  She sang a slow Max Rebo song, one her and Obi-Wan enjoyed at the concert they went to a few years back.

            Time passed, and Mayli changed songs, the child now calm, leaning against her, holding one of her hands tightly.  Mayli looked up suddenly to see Obi-Wan standing at the cave entrance with a large container of water and their med kit, staring at her wistfully.  He shook his head as if awakening then kneeled before the child.

            Obi-Wan took over work rehydrating and placing bacta on the Tusken’s leg, and since the singing seemed to calm the child, he continued Mayli’s song.  Mayli walked around the cave, absentmindedly looking at the paintings, thinking about how to get the child back to his or her people.  Coming out of her thoughts, Mayli found herself staring at an image that looked mildly familiar, and she felt her heart rate quicken.

            “Obi-Wan, have any Tuskens ever seen you with your lightsaber?” she asked.

            “No, I always carefully check before practicing with it,” he said from behind her.  “Why?”

            “Come look at this,” she said.

            Obi-Wan shuffled over.  The art was near the mouth of the cave, so plenty of light shined through. 

            “What the…” and he was speechless.

            The picture portrayed a darkly clad human figure with light hair holding a blue blade.  Several beings resembling Sand People laid at his feet.  The color red became prominent around these bodies, the obvious indication being death.

            Mayli laughed lightly, as she felt the mood darken significantly, Obi-Wan fixated on the image, his mouth gaping open.  “Can’t be you.  No beard.”

            “I…I didn’t have a beard when I visited Tatooine the first time,” he said slowly.  “But I didn’t…I didn’t do that.”

            “Maybe it’s really old.  Past Jedi or maybe a Sith,” Mayli said.

            “It would be faded because of the location near the light,” Obi-Wan said, now almost a whisper.

            “Then who could…” but Mayli stopped, realization dawning.

            She looked at Obi-Wan who stared at the painting as if punched in the gut.  A whimper from the child made him jump, and he ripped his eyes away from the cave wall to attend to the Tusken.

            Mayli studied the image again, seeing a background represented.  A few desert trees, an oasis of some kind.  But the mountain formation behind the figures…she knew exactly where this took place.  She gulped.

            “I know this place,” she said, mostly to herself.

            Obi-Wan scurried up to be by her again.  “You do?”  He looked at her with such frantic desperation, she took a step back.

            “Yes,” she said.

            “Take me there!” he cried, grabbing her arm.  “I need to go!  I need to see what…”

            Loud cries sounded from outside the cave, accompanied by a deep horn.  Sand People.

            “Well, at least we don’t need to take the kid to them,” Mayli said, putting her water bottle beside the child and grabbing Obi-Wan’s arm, prying him away from the picture.  “Let’s go!”

            As they emerged from the cave, they saw a cluster of Tusken Raiders move toward them in the distance, weapons at ready.  Now at a full run, the couple entered the ship, Mayli rising it into the air just as the group approached the cave.  She breathed a sigh of relief, setting off again toward home.

            “What could that creature in the ground be?  Maybe a…”

            “Take me there,” Obi-Wan demanded, and she turned to see his eyes pleading with her.  The look frightened her, almost like when he’d been tempted by the holocron she hid years ago.

            “I…I need to go home.  I’m…not feeling well,” she said.  “Tomorrow?”

            Obi-Wan blinked as if coming out of a deep thought.  He gave her a forced smile.  “Of course.  Of course, love.”

            He remained silent the rest of the way home and into the afternoon, sitting out in their garden, staring at nothing, a look of deep sadness on his face. 

            Obi-Wan’s head swam with thoughts of the past, his life as a Jedi, his time with Anakin.  He knew, the moment he saw the painting, the human represented Anakin.  He felt it, the Force pushing the thought into his mind.  He often wondered when Anakin chose the Dark Side, when Obi-Wan lost him.  Seeing that image shook Obi-Wan to the core.  When?  How?  Why?

            He came out of his trance and realized he sat in the dirt in front of their vegetable patch, the first sun beginning to set.  And he also realized Mayli sat beside him, her arm draped over his shoulder, head leaning against him.

            “I don’t think we should go there, Ben,” she said softly.

            “Why?”

            “Because…you know it’s Anakin.  I know you know.  Why do we need to go there, see the place?” she said.

            Obi-Wan looked down at her as her fingers ran over the leaves of the plants.  Her words so closely echoed Yoda’s when the last two Jedi stood in the Temple for the final time, that he paused.  Did he need to go to this place, this oasis?

            “I need to know…to feel…to understand…” he sighed.  “I just have to, Mayli.”

            She nodded and sighed.  “Okay.”  A long pause.  “You know, Anakin going to the Dark Side, that’s not your fault.”

            “But this…killing…and he never mentioned…and…” Obi-Wan stammered, trying to keep from breaking down.

            “Obi-Wan, how much did you really know about Anakin?”

            “Qui-Gon believed he was the Chosen One…he was drenched in the Force,” Obi-Wan said, remembering that long ago mission, the over a decade-long chain of events that followed.  “He was a virgin birth and…”

            “You’ve said that before and…well, that’s just…” she stopped, but Obi-Wan knew she wanted to say more.

            “What?  Say it, Mayli.  He’s already gone, Anakin.  Only Vader remains.  What are you thinking?”

            “Remember what we talked about earlier…the Sith, the Scholars, the experiments.  Maybe Palpatine…Well, what if Anakin was just some Force science experiment?  Wouldn’t it be easy to use a Tatooine slave woman as a lab animal?” Mayli said.  “You’ve said so many times since I’ve known you…since I knew the truth.  You wondered when you lost him.  But what if he was never yours, the Jedi’s, to lose?  What if he was…orchestrated?”

            Obi-Wan felt his mouth go dry and he studied Mayli, as they now sat facing one another.  What if Anakin belonged to the Dark Side since birth…or before?  Palpatine played a very quietly cunning game in gaining ultimate power over the galaxy, showing himself to be intelligent and patient.  An apprentice grown from scratch, where one needed to cultivate, prune, and encourage over the course of time, like the plants in their garden, sounded exactly the Emperor’s style.  Once Obi-Wan fully processed the thought, he found no argument against the theory, and bile rose in his throat.

            He rose swiftly.  “I feel ill,” he murmured and walked over to the area behind the eopie shelter, placing a hand on the wooden side, leaning over. 

But he didn’t throw up.  Perhaps it wasn’t true…how would he know…ever?  Perhaps go to the Imperial palace on Coruscant, knock on the door, and say to Palpatine, “Oh, hello.  I was just wondering if the man I considered my friend, my brother, was engineered to become your apprentice?”  He almost laughed aloud, imagining himself sitting down discussing the matter with the Sith Lord over caf and cookies.

Mayli once again stood by his side, and he straightened to wrap her in a hug. 

“Would you like me to read you some more children’s stories?” she asked.

Obi-Wan nodded into her shoulder.  Most of those stories ended happily.  How nice it would be to breath in those worlds for a while.

The next day, after a rather short journey, Mayli landed the Womp Rat One a couple of yards from the site depicted on the cave drawing.  The resemblance was uncanny, and Obi-Wan wondered if the Tusken Raider who painted the image depicted the very specific setting as a warning. 

And Obi-Wan should have heeded that warning, because the second he stepped near the site, he felt slapped with pain.  Dozens died here, men, women, children.  Their lives extinguished in rage.  Hate glittered in the sand, hung in the air, making it difficult to breathe.  Obi-Wan closed his eyes and touched the Force. 

Nobody came here anymore, and the physical remnants of the tragedy were completely gone.  Burned?  Carted away?  This seemed to be a dead spot now on Tatooine.

He could sense a ghost of Anakin, but not the Anakin he knew and loved in their days together as Jedi, but the Anakin he fought on Mustafar.  When had this occurred?  Opening up more to the gentle waves of misery, the timeline of events that might have brought Anakin this way registered.  His mother.  Her death.  Obi-Wan knew the circumstances of her death…had this been the aftermath, carefully hidden from the Jedi?  He hadn’t noticed, been busy with other things, in danger himself.  If he had felt it, a disturbance in the Force centralizing on Anakin, would he have thought much of it, being preoccupied with what became the start of the Clone Wars?

Sickness again rose in him.  Anakin had been a padawan then, Obi-Wan’s charge.  Shouldn’t he have sensed it?  Then a darker thought came.  Padme accompanied Anakin during that time.  Had she known?  His view of her shifted suddenly, so rapidly he knelt to the ground.  With all her talk of justice, of democracy…and to keep hidden the slaughter of children! 

No, he didn’t know this.  Not for sure.  He was making guesses, inferences of things he could never know the truth about.  A dangerous path indeed, one he’d been warned about many times.  The only facts he knew for sure, that he could see clearly in the Force, were the deaths of an entire tribe of Sand People at the hands of Anakin Skywalker.

Anakin massacred them and…he’d become a Jedi Knight.  A General.  And he’d been given an apprentice!

Obi-Wan doubled over and placed his forehead on the sand.  He’d lost Anakin years before the fall of the Jedi.  And if Mayli’s theory were true, Anakin being Obi-Wan’s apprentice might have been a ruse the entire time.  Obi-Wan simply helped groom Anakin for the Emperor’s service.

Could the Skywalker line be tainted with the Dark Side?  Was the blood of Luke and Leia poisoned?  He needed to prevent that, needed to begin training Luke immediately.  Despite his despair, a new sense of resolve about the Luke situation bloomed.

His mind swimming, once again lost in the past, he felt Mayli at his side, pulling him up, and he let her lead him back to the ship, even allowing her to guide him into the co-pilot’s seat.  She placed her fingers on his chin and raised his face to look up at her.

“This is the past,” she said.  “There is nothing we can do about this now.  What we can do is help Senator Organa defeat the Empire.”  She took his hand and placed it on their growing child.  “Look to the present, Ben.  The future.  Your future.  Our future.”

Her words brought him back instantly.  He leaned over and kissed her stomach, then pulled her to him, comforted as her fingers ran through his hair.  They never visited the oasis again.   

 

 


	9. Ewok Brother

**Chapter Nine**

**Ewok Brother**

            Sitting cross-legged on the floor of the cargo hold in the Womp Rat One, Mayli fiddled with one of the communication devices Senator Organa gave her to distribute.  She needed to set up the comm for use, as she would be handing the piece off quickly to her Gungan contact in the busy downtown Naboo capital.  She’d already dined in the city at one of her favorite pasta places in the galaxy, a restaurant she often visited in her past life as a pilot-for-hire.  She’d even gotten a couple dishes to go, the packages resting in the refrigeration unit.

Mayli thought about the food, growing hungry even though she just ate an hour before.  She sighed and looked down at her growing stomach.  Although she was only 15 weeks along, she already showed, and she felt certain not all of that was baby.  Oh well, she thought.  Considering how little good food there was to indulge in on Tatooine, she deserved a treat.  And she had the excuse of eating for two.  Laughing to herself as she turned her attention back to the comm, she resolved to enjoy herself while she was pregnant.  A kind man to take care of her at home, an excuse to eat a lot of great food…life was good, for a woman who worked for a crime boss on a backwater desert planet.

Thoughts of food shifted to the impending drop, potentially her most dangerous yet as a rebel.  She’d already made the delivery for Jabba, a mysterious crate she brought to a warehouse on the nearby world of Enarc, a job she traded for an on-Tatooine run with Wires so she could be close to Naboo.  The scene of the Naboo capital changed significantly since her time as a pilot hauling legal merchandise.  Evidence of the Empire bathed the city, stormtroopers and Imperial officers everywhere.  Of course the Moff of this sector lived in the palace, the democratic royalty (a system which Mayli never fully understood) ousted a while back. 

Turning the device over in her hand, she nodded to herself, the activation complete.  She was about to slide it into her satchel when she saw the light blink.  How in the world?  She hadn’t set it up to the group connection yet…but there came a message, just sent.  She hit the button to listen and to see the text.

“Hello?” came what sounded like a child’s voice.  “Hello?  This is Ewok Brother.”

Then nothing.  Mayli stared, puzzled.  Ewok Brother?  Should she answer?  What if someone in the rebellion needed help and somehow could only communicate through this channel, this just-activated device.  But wait, how could…

“This is Ewok Brother,” came the voice again.  “Anyone out there?”

Mayli sighed and spoke.  “This is the Bird.  Are you in danger, Ewok Brother?”

“It works!  It works!” the child cried, sounding happy.  “Who is this?  A bird?  And…”

Another deeper voice came across the comm, sounding more distant.  “Sky!  What are you doing?”

The message ended. Nothing.

Mayli stared at the device for several minutes, but no further message came through.  Her stomach began to churn, not from the pregnancy nor from the large bowl of pasta she ate, but from the unsettling feeling that something was wrong.  She made the decision quickly, putting the device down and activating the self-destruct mechanism.  She watched in amazement as the comm fell apart in a puff of smoke, and she placed it in the waste receptacle to eject into the vacuum when she returned to space.  Still uneasy, she resolved to have Obi-Wan contact Senator Organa about the issue. 

Taking out a new device, she began her prep again for the impending meeting with the Gungan.

On Endor, Kell stood over his young son, shocked and angry.

“Sky, I step away for a moment to use the ‘fresher and you call…”

“The Bird!” said Sky excitedly.  “You left that mystery channel plugged in, and I changed the last two numbers of the suffix of the frequency and…and…somebody spoke!”

“Out of my chair,” Kell said angrily before sitting down in front of the screen.  Still, he couldn’t be too angry.  How come he hadn’t thought of changing the suffix?  He looked over at his nearly seven-year old boy.  Impressive.

“Let’s try again!” shouted Sky.

Kell glared at his son but couldn’t keep a straight face.  He grinned, feeling a little giddy.  Spying on what was surely an underground mob boss’ channel reminded him of childhood, when he and his father used a self-constructed radio to listen in on Republic government-only channels. 

“Okay,” he said eagerly, pulling Sky onto his lap and activating the comm. 

“We’re Ewok Brother!” said Sky happily.

“Ewok Brother?” Kell laughed.  “Okay, let’s try.” He dialed in the code.  “Hello Bird?  This is Ewok Brother.  Do you copy?”

The father and son waited, but only static greeted them.  After several more tries, still nothing.  Kell sighed heavily.

“Maybe we can try again another time,” he said.  “What did the Bird sound like?”

“She sounded pretty,” Sky said.  He looked down at the framed holo of his mother which Kell sat next to his screens the day they arrived.  “But not as pretty as mom.”

“Nobody was as pretty as your mother,” Kell said softly, looking at the image with longing.

            “Can we listen in on some other things?”  Sky asked.  “Remember when all the soldiers came? Can we listen in on them?”

            Kell shuddered at the thought of getting caught spying on Grand Moff Tarkin.  “Hmmm…how about we take a look at some local chatter from the Unknown Regions.  Sometimes you hear languages other than Basic.”

            Sky nodded eagerly, and the two spent the afternoon listening and laughing at the different sounds of the galaxy.

            Obi-Wan stopped the landspeeder just before crossing the border onto the Lars homestead.  He needed to convince Beru and Owen to let him begin training Luke now.  And he’d chosen this time, with Mayli away, to take on this task.  He knew he’d been in a rather dark mood lately, following the discovery of Anakin’s crime, and he didn’t want to burden Mayli with further stress.  Damn, she always took such good care of him and his emotional needs, he needed to make sure she was well and not worrying constantly about him.  And deep down, he expected this meeting to go poorly, not having any further argument than the fate of the galaxy might rest in the hands of this child, which sounded like extreme hyperbole.

            But he was Obi-Wan Kenobi, Jedi Master, the one sent in when the going got tough.  He could handle two farmers.  Still, these were people who’d come to love and care for Luke, and he realized as he started the landspeeder again that this may be a very different situation than any of the galactic leaders he dealt with in the past.  He hadn’t worked too much in family matters, which this certainly seemed to be.  The thought gave Obi-Wan a brief moment of happiness; Luke and Leia both in loving families, both in good homes.

            As he came to the first building on the property, he realized he hadn’t seen Beru, Owen, or Luke since the incident in town with the stormtrooper.  They didn’t normally run in the same circles, and they probably didn’t even know of Mayli’s pregnancy.  But once he began training Luke, the two families could become closer.

            All those positive thoughts fell from Obi-Wan’s head as he pulled up to the homestead, Beru and Owen emerging immediately, unsmiling, the latter shooing Luke into the house.  The gesture gave Obi-Wan a twinge of anger – did they think he was going to kidnap the child?

            “Hello Ben,” said Owen, no welcome in his tone.  “We’ve been expecting you to stop by for some time.”

            “Life’s been busy,” Obi-Wan said, approaching the couple.  He was not invited inside.  “Been working.”

            “Yes, some of the neighboring farmers said they’ve hired you on occasion.  And a rancher on the other side of Water says he saw your bartend at Jabba’s,” Owen said.  “Interesting choice for a…”

            Obi-Wan smiled pleasantly, although he could sense ultimate disappointment in this exchange.  “Yes, I’ve been meeting quite a few people, getting to know Tatooine.”

            “And Mayli?  How is she?” asked Beru, her voice also void of warmth.

            “Excellent,” Obi-Wan said, wanting to move past the small talk and get the inevitable over with.  He squared his shoulders.  “You know why I’ve come.  I think it’s imperative that I begin training Luke.” He raised a hand to stop Owen as he opened his mouth to speak.  “And I know and understand your hesitance.  He will not be subjected to the rigors of a Temple training, I can assure you.  I have a plan.  We can begin once a week and…”

            “He will not begin at all,” said Beru, matter-of-factly.

            “Oh?” said Obi-Wan, already feeling defeated. 

            “We’ve come to the decision that what is best for Luke is for him to learn to be a farmer,” Beru continued.  “He doesn’t need to know whether he is Force sensitive or not.  In fact, if someone found out he could be recruited…”

            “Recruited?” Obi-Wan asked.  “Beru, the Empire wouldn’t…”

            “Ben, it’s been all over the holonews this week.  We saw in Water.  They call themselves Inquisitors, Hands to the Emperor.  And they can do magic that looks like what the Jedi could do,” Owen said.  “There’s only a handful now, from the report.  Looming over people like Darth Vader.”

            Obi-Wan shook his head as if clearing his mind.  Hands to the Emperor?  Inquisitors?  Could this possibly be more Sith?  Was Palpatine building an army, shirking the Rule of Two Yoda spoke of long ago?  Obi-Wan supposed the Emperor could, perhaps had to, as the Sith hadn’t held power over the galaxy in more than a hundred generations.  He hadn’t watched the holonews at all this week, working on the house, bartending with loud music drowning out the holoscreen, which usually featured sports anyway. 

            “Luke might already be on some draft list for the stormtrooper legions.  I don’t want him to become one of those frightening Inquisitors,” Beru said.

            “We can train in secret.  Luke…he might be the only hope.  The son of the Chosen One and…”

            “No!” screamed Beru.  “He is our child!  We protect him, and he will not die or become something evil.  You training him puts him at risk.”

            Owen shook his head sadly.  “Listen Ben, thinking you can restart the Jedi Order…honestly, it’s some damn-fool idealistic crusade.  One that will fail.  For the most part, we are left alone and with Tatooine so unimportant, Luke can live out a good life here.”

            “But…but…” Obi-Wan’s throat felt dry, and he had no argument.  Nothing he could say.  But Luke wasn’t even four years old yet…there would still be time.  Just not now.  And Obi-Wan knew beginning the Jedi again was not a foolish idealistic crusade.  He needed to have faith in something, have hope.  Mayli’s positive spirit taught him that.  And the baby…a legacy of the Force, Qui-Gon called the child.  Obi-Wan finally cleared his throat.  “Okay.”

            “We think it best if you don’t come by again,” said Beru, having calmed down a bit. 

            But I will be watching, he thought.  He simply nodded, put up the hood to his cloak, and turned back toward his landspeeder.  Heading across the desert, he felt a sad resolve.  The Jedi would rise again, he felt that in his heart, in the Force.  But when remained a mystery.  He considered the Sith Scholar Jac, who’d seen Obi-Wan’s future, him disappearing before being struck down by Darth Vader.  If that was the end of Obi-Wan, will he have done enough to ensure the future of the Jedi? 

            Taking a detour to Water to plug into the holonet in order to read more about these Emperor’s Hands, Obi-Wan considered Beru and Owen, knowing he’d be just as equally protective of his child.  He admired them, standing there steadfast in front of someone they knew to be incredibly powerful.  He respected and understood their decision, would not go against it, but he would check in, unseen, often.

            Mayli scooted up to the table at a little outdoor tapcaf, cradling the warm mug of decaf on the chilly afternoon.  She’d gotten so used to the scorching temperatures of Tatooine, moderate weather seemed downright freezing, and she pulled the new robes tightly around her.  She’d worn an outfit put together by the Twi’lek rebel, rich colors, quality fabrics, and she noticed she fit in nicely with the upper crust of Naboo, as she sat in the neighborhood near the palace.

            Looking at the spires of the palace, she thought of Qui-Gon, who perished here when Obi-Wan was a young man.  She felt she knew Qui-Gon, having conversed with him often during his sporadic visits, using Obi-Wan as a translator.  How strange indeed the world of these Force users and how odd she had gotten used to it.  Placing her hand over her child, she wondered if the baby would be Force sensitive.  Would he or she train with Obi-Wan?  What implications would that have on them, on the future?  Sometimes, Mayli wished she were Force sensitive, to be able to talk with Qui-Gon, do some of the incredible things Obi-Wan did without a thought. She sighed as she adjusted the purple satchel she had sitting on the table, the signal to her contact. 

            Mayli waited well past the time the Gungan rebel was meant to meet with her, and she began to feel uneasy.  Reading a novel on her data pad, she hardly paid attention to the story.  Gesturing to the waiter, she ordered another decaf and a pastry.  After receiving the hot drink, full to the brim, she brought it up to her lips only to be slammed in the back by some figure behind her.  Caf spilled all over her new robes.

            “Damn you…” she leaped up, angry to have her nice new clothing damaged.  She always wore grungy clothing, couldn’t she have anything nice?  Turning on the spot, she froze, a Gungan female dressed in bright green pants and a tunic scrambling to her feet. 

            “Sorry, sorry,” she said, in a light sing-song voice.  “Tripped over that chair…oohhh…the purple purse!”

            Mayli grabbed the Gungan, shoving her into the seat across the table while grabbing napkins to dab off the hot liquid.  “Shhhh…you can’t be so…”

            “Miss, is this…alien…bothering you,” the human waiter asked, glaring at the new arrival.

            “Not at all.  I’ve been waiting for…ah…Millie to arrive,” Mayli smiled warmly.  “Can you please bring me a new drink?  And one for my friend here?”

            The waiter left, still looking suspicious.

            “Wow, you are a pro, thinking so quickly.  I like Millie.  I think I would love for that to be my code name when we…” the Gungan began.

            Mayli reached over and grabbed her hand, giving her an exaggerated smile.  “Millie, I must say I’m so delighted you could stop by so I could give you your birthday present.” She reached into her satchel and pulled out the device, wrapped in decorative fabric.  “But don’t open it here, Millie.  Too many small pieces on the jewelry…oops.”  She mock giggled.  “Spoiled the surprise.”

            “Millie” watched Mayli with raised eyebrows and a look of sheer delight.  “Goodness, you are good.”

            Mayli wanted to roll her eyes but instead smiled warmly and nodded.  So much for a discreet walk-up hand off.  The waiter sat down the drinks and walked away, still glaring at the women.

            Millie leaned forward.  “I know I was just supposed to walk by and reach in the bag, but when I saw the tapcaf I got so excited.”

            “Let’s talk about something else,” said Mayli through gritted teeth, her eyes wide in suggestion.  She nodded slightly toward the group of stormtroopers walking across the street from them.

            Millie looked puzzled, then a slow smile of recognition dawned, and she nodded.  “Sorry, sorry.  Just so happy to be involved…”

            “In the plans for your uncle’s wedding,” said Mayli excitedly.  How could that be the first thing that popped into her head?

            “Yes!  Wow, how did you know?  You’re really good,” Millie said, taking a quick drink.  “When are you due?”

            Mayli raised her eyebrows.  “What?  How do you…”

            “It’s always easy to tell with humans.  You’re first, right?  I’m taking medical classes and…” Millie stopped and winked.  “But of course, you know that, girlfriend.”

            Mayli talked about her pregnancy, Millie with plans for her uncle’s wedding, and eventually the duo parted, the exchange taking far longer than Mayli expected or felt comfortable with.  Between this and the mysterious message from Ewok Brother, she began to worry about the devices and the joining of rebellions.  She would definitely need to have Daddy O contact Dragon.  As she walked up the ramp of Womp Rat One, she almost laughed aloud again at Obi-Wan’s code name.

            After making the first hyperspace jump, the Womp Rat sat in the dead space between systems, Mayli taking a moment to go back to the living quarters to check on her robes.  She attempted using a stain remover to get out the spill, but a faint hint of the caf still remained.  Throwing the robes to the floor in disgust, she again damned Millie for her clumsiness and lack of tact.  Sure, the stain wasn’t big and most wouldn’t notice, but Mayli would. 

“This is what you get for trying to dress up,” she said aloud.  “Face it Mayli, you belong in cargo pants.”

A chime signaled an incoming message, and Mayli moved back to the cockpit.  Bringing up the appropriate screen, she saw a message from Jabba’s.

“Attention all pilots,” came Yarna’s voice, filled with urgency.  “Stay where you are.  I repeat, stay where you are.  Hunker down until further notice.  We’ve received notice from an informant of an Imperial raid on the palace.  Again, do not come back to base until further notice.  Yarna out.”

Imperial raid?  She glanced over at the calendar.  Obi-Wan would be working tonight; they planned to leave together in the morning, Mayli only being a short hyperspace jump away.

Then she shook her head.  Obi-Wan could handle himself…a Jedi Master.  She needn’t be worried at all. 

But what were they looking for at Jabba’s?  She’d been working for the Hutt for over two years and not once did they get inspected.  Everyone knew he ran drugs and weapons.  Was the Empire finally cracking down?  What did that mean for her and Obi-Wan?

Staring out at the empty vacuum, Mayli put her feet up on the panel, resigned to wait anxiously, knowing that was all she could do at the moment.  At least some delicious pasta dishes awaited her in the refrigerator.

Obi-Wan pulled the landspeeder up to Jabba’s palace to find all the employees running around in different directions, seeming panicked, far different from the usual lethargic pace of the hot Tatooine afternoons.     

               Leaping out of the transport, he dashed over to Gradie, who pushed a cart with a large unmarked metal box.

            “What’s happening?”

            “Imperial inspection,” Gradie said breathlessly.  “Should arrive in an hour.”

            “What about the flights?” he asked, worried about Mayli.

            “Frozen.  Checked on Mayli for you.  Sitting in space just a jump away.  No worries.”

            Obi-Wan’s eyes flitted to the compost shed, but he felt a little relieved when the disgusting smell coming from the rotting food wafted his way.  No, they wouldn’t find the comm.

            Turning back to Gradie, he said, “What can I do?”

            “Grab that other cart and help me hide these blasters,” Gradie said. 

            Obi-Wan did as instructed, noticing a dozen or so employees hauling items from the palace into the village.  Gradie and Obi-Wan pulled up in front of the hut he knew to be Gradie’s.  Moving the boxes inside, Gradie went straight for the bedroom and, with a show of strength Obi-Wan hadn’t seen from the slicer, pushed aside the large, heavy bed.  A trap door underneath opened to a small storage cellar, and the men hoisted the weapons inside.

            “Already encrypted the files to look like we deal in legal freight, play the middle-man for a couple companies Jabba has dirt on,” Gradie sighed.  “Yes, he blackmails too.”

            Obi-Wan stared in awe at the trap door, then began to laugh aloud, which puzzled Gradie.  How simple, using the homes of the poor in the palace village.  Clever.  And how often had Jedi been sent on missions to bust different crime lords, looking for spice and other illegal, harmful items?  Seeing Jabba and his employees at work humbled Obi-Wan a bit, and he stopped laughing, realizing he now worked for the very type of organization he once despised, was trained to bring down.  He and Mayli both depended on Jabba as an employer, and Jabba ran spice, weapons, and owned slaves, like Yarna.  But what else was there on Tatooine?  They couldn’t afford a farm and…

            Gradie jarred Obi-Wan from his thoughts.  “You should head to the bar to help Solla.  She hates those Imperials, and she’s rather crabby today.  Best you run the bar.”

            Obi-Wan reported to Solla, who was indeed cranky, complaining about being inconvenienced.  He whisked her to the back room to do liquor orders and returned to the bar just as the roar of engines announced the arrival of the Imperials.

            And like some stage play, the bar fell into its normal routine, everyone playing their roles well.  Obi-Wan chatted with Drag, who sat at the bar, and a male Bothan, visiting and a bit irritated to be told he couldn’t take off for space until the inspectors left.

            The room quieted a little when footsteps sounded outside.  A sudden wave of nausea swept over Obi-Wan as stormtroopers entered the cantina, similar to the sickness he’d felt when he handled the Sith holocron years ago.  The Dark Side.

            “Ben, you okay?” asked Drag.

            “Yes…yes…I’m…” but then he froze.

            Entering following the troopers was a tall and muscular human male, young, with olive skin and an elaborate red and black tattoo covering his bald head.  He radiated the Dark Side throughout the room, and a lightsaber hung from his hip. 

            Obi-Wan recognized him, and he couldn’t help but stare.  The man had been the padawan of a Jedi Knight Obi-Wan grew up with, Ke, an Elomin with an interest in the chemical sciences.  The last Obi-Wan heard, Ke worked with a small group of Republic researchers studying the composition of a gas giant in an uninhabited system in Wild Space, looking into alternative fuels.  Padawans assigned to Jedi in the sciences usually showed an aptitude toward research rather than combat.

            But now Ke’s former apprentice stood at the entry of Jabba’s cantina, and the word Inquisitor surfaced in Obi-Wan’s mind.  He’d read what little information existed on the holonet about them, and he could only deduce Palpatine was developing an army of Sith.  But a former Jedi?  How had he survived the purge?  Why would he betray the Jedi, the Light, in the service of the Emperor?  Obi-Wan would rather die.

            Then a terrifying thought hit…this young man might recognize Obi-Wan, as a master on the Council.

            “I need to leave,” he said frantically, turning to Drag.  “I…I…” Obi-Wan didn’t know what to say without exposing too much. He glanced back at the Inquisitor, who barked orders in a deep, harsh voice.

            Drag followed Obi-Wan’s gaze.  “Scary chap…you know him?”

            Obi-Wan nodded but turned away as the former Jedi approached the bar.

 

 

****


	10. Solla

**Chapter Ten**

**Solla**

            The Inquisitor slid onto the stool beside Drag as Obi-Wan made his way to the far end of the bar, his mind frantically looking for a way out without calling attention to himself.  The former Jedi would surely recognize him, as he’d probably been in a class Obi-Wan taught at the Temple before leaving with his Master to pursue studies in the field. 

            Obi-Wan thought of his lightsaber, resting beside Anakin’s and Dia’s, in the small trunk at his home.  He never carried it with him.  But what would he do now, if engaged?  He’d expose himself to the entire cantina.  He’d blow his cover.  The eyes of the Empire would turn to Tatooine…to Luke Skywalker.  Vader would surely wonder why Obi-Wan decided upon this world as a hideout.

            “Barkeep,” shouted the Sith.  “Get over here.”

            “A moment,” he said back, trying to busy himself with rearranging bottles.  He needed to stall for an idea.  But Obi-Wan, usually quick on his feet, came up with nothing.

            “Ale.  Now,” the Inquisitor demanded.

            Obi-Wan grabbed a bottle and set it on the bar, for a moment considering sliding it down to the man, using the Force to guide it along the counter.  Then he wouldn’t need to show his face.  But Obi-Wan already pushed the Force deep down within him, and doing such a trick would surely make the man suspicious.

            He sighed and turned, resolving to face the issue head on and see what happened.  He put the ale in front of the man and started to turn away.  The Sith grabbed his arm roughly.

            “This dump serve any food?  Do you have a…” but his voice faded, and he studied Obi-Wan, his orange-yellow eyes narrowing.  “Have…have we met before?”

            Obi-Wan shrugged his arm away and made a show of dusting himself off. 

            “I don’t think so,” he said, exaggerating irritation.  “And I have other customers to serve and…”

            “No…no…you…” the man said, now standing.  “You’re…”

            “Ben!” came a loud, shrill woman’s voice.  Obi-Wan turned to see Solla walking toward him, looking very angry.  “I told you to take the inventory from my personal storage cellar into the backroom yesterday, didn’t I?”  She turned to the Sith.  “My son here, Ben, can’t seem to do a simple task.  At forty-years-old, you think he’d get his act together, move out on his own.”

            “He’s your son?” the Sith said, now puzzled.  He looked back at Obi-Wan, scrutinizing his face.  “You look like someone I knew.  You ever been on Coruscant…Ben?” The way the man emphasized the name led Obi-Wan to believe he was still suspicious.

            Drag began to laugh.  “Yeah, right.  Ben’s never even left Tatooine.  He gets scared when flying.” 

            Solla grabbed Obi-Wan and led him down the bar, thrusting a key into his hand.  She whispered, barely audible.  “My home is opposite Gradie’s, green door, rusted frame.  Stay there.” Then louder.  “Get that damned inventory here now.”

            Obi-Wan moved from behind the bar and headed toward the door, the Sith’s gaze following him until Solla approached.

            “How long are you Imperial fools going to stay?” Obi-Wan heard her ask harshly as he stepped outside. 

            Stormtroopers covered the area, but Obi-Wan didn’t even glance toward the compost shed.  He headed straight into the village, his head swimming with questions.  How had Solla known he needed help?  He knew she was Force sensitive, from her seeing Qui-Gon, but did she know his true identity?  Would the Inquisitor come after Obi-Wan or would he be convinced otherwise?  He had seen doubt on the Sith’s face, particularly when Solla made her speech.  Of course Obi-Wan was quite out of place, going from Jedi Master, occasionally running combat seminars for younglings, sitting on the Jedi Council, to bartending at a cantina on Tatooine, so that alone might cause a seed of doubt to blossom. 

            Obi-Wan soon found Solla’s home, a humble, ramshackle hovel.  He let himself inside, locking the door behind him, finally able to take a full breath. 

            The home consisted of only one room, a bed in the corner, a small kitchen in the other, a sitting area with a table central.  Obi-Wan sat on an old, rather comfortable plush chair, and looked around, wondering how long he’d need to be here, grateful for the rather cool interior.

            As he began to calm down, he took in the room around him, surprised at the tidiness and décor.  Quilts draped over the bed, sofa, and chair appeared to be handstitched, with intricate designs of flowers, Tatooine settings, even star systems.  Framed holo-images hung on the walls, one of a much younger Solla with a tall, broad-shouldered man, standing in front of the sarlacc pit, smiling.  Obi-Wan cracked a smile of his own, thinking when he and Mayli visited the creature, a popular tourist attraction.  Another image showed the young Solla with two other women who looked like her.  Sisters?

            Shelves held small trinkets, a collection of figurines of different types of starships.  Another a small trophy which read Best Restaurant.  As he walked around the home, a more vibrant picture of Solla’s life emerged, more rounded than the cranky old bartender persona she emitted at Jabba’s. 

            A banging at the door brought his attention.

            “Imperial inspection.  Open up,” came a voice, slightly mechanized.  Stormtrooper.

            Obi-Wan opened the door and without greeting, two stormtroopers marched in and quickly moved about the room, throwing the beautiful quilts aside without regard, knocking over the precious items on her shelves.  Obi-Wan glared at the troopers, disgusted by their carelessness, and when they left the hut without a word, he set about cleaning up the mess.  He paused at the table, seeing a particularly beautiful quilt, rich golds and oranges portraying the twin suns of Tatooine, setting over the landscape that looked similar to the mountains near the palace.  The quilt appeared unfinished, perhaps her current project.

            Hearing the activity outside, Obi-Wan began to feel like a coward, hiding out.  But what could he do?  His job was to protect Luke, protect himself, protect the Order.  Still, he felt antsy, wanting to go back to the cantina and meet the treacherous Jedi head on.  Anger began to churn in Obi-Wan, and he slipped into meditation in order to calm down.  Sitting on the floor, he took himself back to his days in the Temple, remembering Ke, whose apprentice the Inquisitor had been.  He found the face of the Sith in a lightsaber combat seminar he’d taught, but the boy had been one of many, so the name did not surface in Obi-Wan’s mind.  His mind went further, wondering what became of Ke. How the padawan had survived and ended up in the service of the Empire.  Maybe Beru’s worries about the Force sensitive were not unreasonable at all.

            “Ben!” someone shouted, and Obi-Wan jarred himself out of deep meditation to find Drag standing before him.

            Leaping to his feet, he glanced around to see the suns had set.  Darkness filled the hut except for a single lamp.

            “What happened?  Did they find anything?” he asked.

            “Nothing.  Left about an hour ago.  The pilots on their way back, so Mayli should be here in a couple of hours.  Solla needs you at the bar,” Drag explained as they began their walk back to the palace.  Obi-Wan found his friend turning to look at him strangely from time to time.

            “What?” Obi-Wan finally said.

            “That Inquisitor knew you, didn’t he?” Drag asked.

            “I recognized him,” Obi-Wan admitted.  “I hoped he didn’t recognize me.”

            “From where?” Drag continued.  “I can’t imagine you being friends with someone like him.  He was an asshole, leering at Yarna, jeering insults at his troopers.” Drag laughed.  “I never thought I’d feel bad for those suckers.  Anyway, he got the business from Solla, that’s for sure.  Dished it right back at him.  Sorry you missed it.” Drag got serious again.  “But how…”

            “Drag, I’d rather not…”

            Drag stopped walking, forcing Obi-Wan to halt as well.  He took Obi-Wan by the arm.  “I get it.  I understand.  We’re all on Tatooine for a reason other than choice.  I mean my brother and I have found a life here, but it wasn’t our first pick.”

            Obi-Wan nodded and smiled, trying to show how grateful he was, remembering Drag jumping right on board with Solla’s story about her idiot son Ben. 

            The cantina seemed back to normal when he returned, and work continued like nothing happened.  At one point, with all the customers and Jabba preoccupied with socializing, Obi-Wan came up beside Solla.

            “Solla, how did you know I needed help?” he asked quietly.

            She looked at him with a mildly puzzled expression.  “I…I don’t really know.  I just felt it.” She laughed, her voice cracking a bit.  “Stupid, huh?  But I was right.  You knew that prick, right?”

            Obi-Wan nodded.

            “No need to explain,” Solla said, waving her hand to brush him off. 

            Silence fell between him, Obi-Wan wishing he could tell Solla about her abilities, train her to use them, find some enjoyment in accessing the Force, even in her old age.  But that would be a dangerous path indeed.

            “You are a wonderfully talented artist,” he said instead.  “Your quilts, that needle work, it’s…”

            She turned and looked with wide eyes, anger flashing.  “You didn’t see the one on the table, did you?”

            Obi-Wan furrowed his brow, confused.  “Ah…yes.  That was my favorite actually.”

            Solla brightened immediately.  “You’re favorite?  Well…that’s good.” She moved away down the bar to assist a new arrival.

            Just before closing, Mayli burst through the entrance, rushing to Obi-Wan, holding him tight without words.  Obi-Wan felt relief finally set in, realizing he’d been in a high state of stress most of the night.

            “We need to go to the compost shed,” she whispered.  “I think something might be wrong with the comm devices.”

            Obi-Wan sighed heavily.  What more could happen today?

            An hour later, the couple sat scrunched together inside the hidden room in the compost shed, the little device in front of them. 

            “I think we should send a message to all the users,” Mayli said.  “Ask them if anyone has the code name Ewok Brother.”

            “Ewoks?  Aren’t they the natives of that Endor moon we visited?  There is no rebel cell out there,” Obi-Wan said, trying to wrap his mind around the situation.

            Mayli just shrugged.  “And that Gungan might be the death of the whole rebellion.”

            Obi-Wan just laughed.  “I’ve found Gungans can be a bit awkward socially, but when the going gets tough, they usually come through.” 

            Mayli sent the message, explaining the conversation with Ewok Brother.  The two waited for a response from someone, as neither would be at Jabba’s for a couple of days.  Obi-Wan told her about the inspection as well as the argument with Owen and Beru, feeling that sense of comfort again as Mayli wrapped him in her arms.

            “I just cannot believe a Jedi would betray the Order…the Light Side,” he said, staring at the comm.  “Then again…Anakin…”

            “Tell me about Solla’s,” Mayli said. 

            Obi-Wan smiled at her, always appreciative of her awareness of his moods, her ability to reroute his thoughts.  He wondered who’d he’d be if she hadn’t moved in next to him, and he inwardly cringed.

            As he told her about Solla’s quilts, the device light flashed.  Mayli reached down and pushed the button to listen.

            “Bird, Daddy O.  Dragon here.  No Ewok Brother on record.  Perhaps a slicer messing in frequencies.  Have my experts working on securing channels further.  Please keep up deliveries until further notice,” Bail’s voice came through strong and clear.

            “Copy that,” said Mayli.

            Bail continued, sounding more lighthearted.  “Hoping your health is well, Bird.  Looking forward to hearing about your future chick.  Wish I could see Daddy O and how he handles everything.”

            “Daddy O will handle everything just fine,” chimed in Obi-Wan, feeling a twinge of sadness.  He would love to see Bail in person again, share a drink, laugh about old times.

            “My own chick is calling.  Story time.  Dragon out,” Bail said.  And he was gone. 

            Mayli leaned her head on Obi-Wan’s shoulder.  “The chick will be here before we know it.”

            Obi-Wan’s mind filled with thoughts of the baby, the events with the Inquisitor pushed away.  He jumped up, pulling Mayli to her feet.

            “All right, my love.  Let’s go home and work on the baby’s room,” he said, leading her out into the dark streets.

            She yawned, looking sweet in her sleepiness, Obi-Wan wishing they were home already, curled up in bed together.

            “After a few hours sleep, of course,” Obi-Wan said, wrapping his arm around her.

            Mayli kissed his cheek as they approached the ship.

            A few days later, Mayli sat in the shade of the cliff near their home, watching Obi-Wan work on the extension to their home.  They’d finished the walls and now began work on the roof.  They started work that day mid-morning, and Mayli made the mistake of showing weakness, placing her hand on her aching lower back as they brought supplies for the roof up from the ship.  Obi-Wan quickly ushered her into the house to rest, and when she argued vehemently, he brought out a blanket and made a nest for her outside.

            “Darling, you shouldn’t be doing such heavy physical labor,” he said, surrounding her with pillows, water, and food.

            Mayli felt irritated.  She wanted to work, hated inactivity.  When Obi-Wan climbed their homemade ladder to survey the work to be done on the roof, she leaped up and walked over to hand him supplies.  Lifting up a board, she involuntarily groaned due to the pain in her back.

            “Mayli,” she heard a stern voice above and looked up to see an angry Obi-Wan.  “Please let me take care of you, of the home.  Just rest.”

            “But I want to…hey!” she yelped as she rose into the air.  Obi-Wan’s outstretched arm guided her back to her comfortable outdoor nest, perfect for the Bird, he’d said.  He placed her down softly, Mayli feeling both irritation and amusement.  But she gave in.  “Fine, fine.”

            At first she pouted in silence; after an hour though, she began to truly enjoy watching Obi-Wan work.  They built the baby’s room in an area covered by the shade of the cliff most of the day, so Obi-Wan stripped off his sand robes and shirt, working in just his trousers.  Mayli unabashedly watched him, his strong arms, muscles flexing when he moved.  His bare chest and torso glistened with sweat, and she couldn’t help but lick her lips when he wiped his brow with the back of his hand.  He grabbed his water bottle for a long drink, drops sliding down his chin and neck, Mayli gaping, feeling warm for reasons entirely different from the climate.

            Of course the best part was Obi-Wan had no idea how sexy he looked, the father of her child working the afternoon away in the hot sun on their new baby’s bedroom.  He simply chatted with her, unaware, as she enjoyed the show.

            “Do you think he’ll come back?” he asked, his back to her, Mayli liking that view as well.

            “Um…who?” she asked, having not paid attention to anything he said for the past several moments, lost in tracing his back muscles with her eyes, longing to put her hands on him.

            “Qui-Gon,” Obi-Wan said, looking back at her.

            “Dunno,” she said.  “Maybe he’s waiting for the baby to arrive.”

            Obi-Wan just chuckled. 

            “If he never comes back…would you be okay with that?” Mayli asked.

            Obi-Wan took a long time to answer.  “I suppose I would have to be.” He sighed.  “I just want to talk about the Inquisitor…and Anakin, the Sand People…I…it’s just been a while now, hasn’t it?”

            “A few weeks,” Mayli answered.  Then an idea struck.  “Yoda!”

            “What?”

            “Master Yoda!  He should get a device.  Then you could talk.  Another Jedi, Obi!”

            He looked at her, the initial excitement at her suggestion fading fast.  “That might be too risky.  Dagobah is dangerous…and if the devices have been hacked…and you are getting far along.”

            “Only sixteen weeks,” she said.  “And the physician said yesterday I’m in excellent health.” She’d been to the pregnancy expert in Mos Espa recommended by Alderaan’s palace physician, who ran the usual physical and pronounced Mayli and baby healthy.  “Plus, Yoda should be a part of the rebellion, as leader of the Jedi.”

            “Yes, all two of us,” Obi-Wan murmured, getting back to work.  “I don’t know, Mayli.”

            “Let’s ask Dragon’s advice,” Mayli said, resolving that whatever they decided, she’d get a device to Yoda somehow.  Obi-Wan needed him.

            Obi-Wan went back to work quietly, and Mayli continued to relish the scene of her lover working diligently on their home.

            Later that evening, Mayli lay in bed, listening to Obi-Wan take a quick shower before joining her.  His mood lightened again throughout the afternoon, and she heard him hum as he emerged from the refresher.  He fell down onto the bed next to her, wearing only his underwear.  Sitting up, in just a sleep shirt, Mayli ran her fingers through his hair.

            “I’m beat,” he said, then looked at her.  “Your back still bothering you?”

            “No…” she began, then saw him raise his eyebrow.  “Yes…just that extra weight.  And I feel I move more and more awkward, which doesn’t help.”

            “Can you lay on your stomach?” he asked.

            “Not comfortably,” she said.

            “Then turn around, on your side,” he said, and she did.

            Obi-Wan began to gently massage her back, and she felt him use the Force to send a soothing pressure on the muscles that hurt the most.  He moved aside her shirt to touch her bare skin, his strong, warm hands gliding across her, stopping in the sensitive spots to work out the tension.  He always knew the areas that needed work, and she sighed contentedly.

            “May I ask you a question?” she said quietly.

            “Hmmm?”

            “When you work on the house, why don’t you use the Force to help you?” she asked.  “Building the new room would certainly be easier.”

            He paused for a long time.  “I just like doing it without, the manual labor, the idea that the time and sweat is going to our child’s comfort.  I’ve been taught to use the Force so much that sometimes just letting go and using my hands…well, it’s hard to explain.”

            “I understand…ohhh, that’s perfect,” she groaned in pleasure, Obi-Wan finding the area on her lower back giving her the most trouble.  “The physician said we can know the sex next time we come by.  I’m not sure I want to find out.”

            “I would like a surprise,” Obi-Wan said, then chuckled.  “A good, fun surprise.  I’ve had too many unpleasant surprises the past several years.”

            “Can you sense if the baby is a boy or a girl?”

            “No,” he was silent again for several moments as he massaged her.  “But he…or she…is very serene right now.  Comfortable.  I sense…happiness.”  He kissed the back of her head.  “You’ve made a good home for the baby to grow, I want to create a good home for my family.”

            Mayli smiled at his sweet comment.  After a little longer, she sat up.

            “Alright, sweetheart, on your stomach.  You need some work too…”

            “I’m not the pregnant one, Mayli.  I don’t…”

            “On your stomach.  Now.”

            “Mayli, please.  I’m fine and…”

            “Obi-Wan, don’t piss off a pregnant woman!”

            He laughed and lay on his stomach, Mayli straddling him at the legs.  She had a good view of his rear and strong back, and she swatted him on the butt before scooting up to move her hands along his back, the places she’d watched flex earlier as he worked.  She pressed hard and rubbed, satisfied to hear him respond with groans of relief and pleasure.

            “Would you prefer a boy or a girl?” Obi-Wan murmured into the pillow.

            “I…don’t know,” Mayli said, hesitating.  She honestly hadn’t thought too much about it, just worried about the health of the baby, making sure she ate right.  “I think I would be happy with either.”

            “Or both,” said Obi-Wan.

            “Um…let’s just try one for now,” Mayli laughed. 

            “When you were younger, did you want to be a mother?” he asked.

            “Well, I sometimes thought it would be fun to have a baby, a child.  I babysat for a family, some neighbors, often when I was a teenager.  I enjoyed cuddling with the baby, making him laugh.  I did not enjoy the clean up.”

            “I haven’t had a lot of experience with children.  And I never thought I’d be a father,” Obi-Wan said.  “I must admit I’m nervous.”

            “Nervous?  Obi, you’ll be great.  You’re warm and kind and far more patient than me,” she said.  “I’m terrified.  Of the delivery, of doing something wrong.”

            “Fear is the path to the Dark Side,” Obi-Wan recited, and Mayli rolled her eyes.

            “I think that’s a little too absolute, Obi,” she said.  “I’ve got a lot of fear about this.  I’m scared.  But in a good way.  It’s an exciting scared.  And a cautious scared.  Sometimes fear can be good.  Keeps you going, keeps you and others alive.”

            “I know,” he said, his voice still a bit muffled from his position.  “I’m just trained to say such wisdom.  In retrospect, a lot of the Code is flawed.”

            “Will you change it?” Mayli asked.

            “That’s been the Code for a thousand generations.  What gives me the right?”

            “Well, you’re the last of the Jedi, responsible for their return.  You hold the power,” she said.

            “Hmmm…I never really considered,” he said.

            Silence fell, and Mayli continued her work.  Her hands grew tired, but she didn’t want to stop, could tell Obi-Wan enjoyed the massage.  She finally moved down and worked on his leg muscles for a bit, then heard a deep snore.  Giggling quietly, she scooted back up to lie beside him.  He faced her direction, his face half covered with the pillow, and he continued to softly snore.

            “I love you, Obi-Wan Kenobi,” she whispered in his ear.

            “Mmmm hmmmm,” he murmured, then shifted to his side, throwing an arm around her waist and pulling her toward him.

            She drifted off, and soon dreamed of Obi-Wan working on the roof, a child standing below, handing him the tools and materials. 

Light years away, Kell sat with Sky, drawing on the bark of a tree in their little bunker.  They’d collected several pieces and dried them out for Sky’s artwork, and their last shipment of supplies included several paints, pencils, and other materials Kell requested.  The delivery also included a holotext, a primer for galactic anthropology, from Grand Moff Tarkin himself, a note directing the item to Sky.  Kell wasn’t sure whether or not to be concerned Tarkin remembered and showed interest in his son. 

Sky had gotten quite good at drawing, and many of his pictures of the setting and creatures of Endor were remarkably realistic.  He couldn’t recall his wife being artsy, and his talents lay in audio, so he wondered where Sky got his skills.  Perhaps the environment of Endor just inspired. 

The comm chimed, indicating an incoming message for the Empire.  Kell glanced over, surprised.  He could go several days without contact with another sentient. 

“Kell Jett,” he said.

“Ah yes, hello.  Tarkin here,” came the crisp, cool voice.

Kell sat up and saw Sky raise his eyes from his artwork. 

“Grand Moff…sir…um…thank you for sending us the text on anthropology…

“Oh, that was nothing at all.  I always want to encourage those curious minds.  I marked my home world in the text.  Some very interesting critters and cultures there,” Tarkin said, sounding slightly jovial, Kell guessing this wasn’t a common attitude.  “I would like you to continue to monitor that mystery frequency you spoke about.  We inspected the sites in question but came up with nothing.  However, that does not mean nothing is going on.  Please report any changes.”

“Well, sir…” he began, then paused.  Should he tell Tarkin about them communicating with someone called Bird on that frequency?  “Will do, sir.”

“Thank you.  Tarkin out.”

Kell returned to his seat next to Sky, uncertain why he didn’t tell Tarkin about their conversation with the woman.  He looked down at his own drawing of the trees surrounding their post. 

“Dad, can we paint the side of the building?” Sky said suddenly.

“What?”

“Let’s paint the words Ewok Brother on the building.  Make it look neat.  Our base doesn’t have a name,” Sky said.        

“Yes, it does.  Endor Base One,” Kell laughed.  “Okay.  I did read on the holonews the Emperor commissioning some new public art.  I’m sure he wouldn’t mind…or ever be out here on Endor.  Or even in this system.  Ever.”

They moved the paints outside, choosing the wall facing the landing strip.  Three hours later, the words “Ewok Brother” graced the side of the building, the letters adorned with painted foliage representing the forest moon.  Kell nodded in approval, ruffling his son’s hair. 

“Excellent.  Mom would be proud,” he said.  “And I’m sure the locals will like it.”

Sky smiled broadly at his father.  “Let’s go try to find Bird again.”

 

 


	11. Dagobah

**Chapter Eleven**

**Dagobah**

            Four weeks following the Imperial inspection on Jabba’s palace, Mayli slipped from the cantina to the compost shed to check on the comm device.  She’d signaled her intentions to Obi-Wan, who entertained a large group of sentients with his bottle-twirling skills, Solla off for the evening.

            The couple received a transmission from Senator Organa the week before, assuring them of the security of the system, his best technicians working to keep the channels heavily encrypted and private.  With this assurance, Mayli thought it a good time to put her plan into motion.

            Squeezing into the tiny room, smiling a little as she noticed her baby bump a bit more prominent than the last time she entered the small space, she sat down and grabbed the device.

            “Dragon, Bird here.  I feel it would be appropriate for a certain green friend to have a device.  Daddy O hesitates, but from what I know of this friend, he would be a valuable member of our business enterprise.”  She sent the message.

            She waited a while, and when no response came, she returned to the cantina.

            Obi-Wan looked in prime form this evening, smiling at the customers, doing amazing tricks to the continued astonishment of the audience. Several new folks were present as an air race sponsored by Jabba would begin in a few days only ten kilometers away.  Mayli watched his tip jar fill quickly and smiled, knowing their next step, with the new room up and shelves built, would be furnishings for the baby.  She drew up plans for a crib and even began salvaging a few pieces of wood.  They also needed blankets and clothing and…

            Mayli shook her head and took a drink of the fresh juice Obi-Wan squeezed for her.  So much to think about, but they still had several weeks to go.  Obi-Wan spoke of not working at the bar anymore, especially once Mayli could fly again.  She knew he actually looked forward to taking care of the baby at home, but watching him now she knew he’d also miss bartending.  He’d become quite good and always seemed happy doing the work.

            Mayli again slipped away for the compost shed, thrilled to see she had a return message.

            “I couldn’t agree more, Bird,” Senator Organa said.  “Green Friend would be invaluable to our future ventures.  Please deliver.  Should have one or two more following, as most of the associates are connected.  More info to follow.  In meantime, please give my regards to Green Friend.  I miss him.”  A pause.  “Thank you, Bird.  And please be on the lookout for a package.”

            Package?  Odd.  She shrugged, replaced the device in its spot, and returned to the bar.

            She waited until the ride home early morning, following Obi-Wan’s shift, to tell him about giving Yoda a device.

            Obi-Wan sighed heavily.  “Yes, Yoda would be a perfect leader for the rebellion.  But…he was very injured, damaged in his fight with Palpatine.”

            “Yes, but not his mind, Ben,” Mayli argued.  “An organized rebellion would need both warriors and strategists.  And Yoda is a symbol for the Jedi and…”

            “I just don’t know…”

            “You want to talk with him, right?” she asked, confused.

            “Oh yes.  More than anything.  But…”

            “Are you afraid of what he’ll think of me?” Mayli asked, trying to sound matter-of-fact, not hurt. “That you failed the Code?”

            A long pause followed.  “Yes,” he said quietly.  “But not you, Mayli.  Just…well, embracing attachment saved me.  I touched the Dark Side, the holocron, my anger…I don’t know.  And I would need to tell Master Yoda these things.”  He didn’t speak for a long time, the sounds of the Womp Rat One filling the space.  “I’m just afraid.  I thought I would never speak with him again, honestly.”

            “Fear is the path to the Dark Side, Ben,” Mayli said, deepening her voice to mock his, and to her delight, Obi-Wan laughed hard, almost doubled over in his seat.

            “Oh my sweet darling, you never cease to bring me joy,” he said, leaning over to kiss her.

            Two days later, Mayli sat alone in the cock pit, studying a map of the galactic south and the Rimma Trade Route.  While Dagobah remained a system not too far off the beaten path, the star could only be accessed through rather dubious hyperspace traces.  After careful calculations, she made a series of small jumps, finally ending up in the Dagobah system.  She headed toward the only terrestrial planet in the system, and took a moment to regard the green and brown orb in front of her.

            “Hmmm…how am I going to find Yoda?” she said aloud, turning to the droid, still inactivated in the corner.  She shook her head, thinking she might need to activate it occasionally, for conversation at least.

            Guiding the Womp Rat down, she began to fly over the planet-wide bog, using her sensors to find some form of life other than swamp critters.

            Back on Tatooine, Obi-Wan carefully measured out the citrus flavoring in the drink he concocted, letting out a groan of frustration when the liquid turned the wrong shade of orange.

            A slow night at the cantina, both Solla and Obi-Wan on duty, the usual suspects surrounded the bar, Jabba gone to bed early due to a cold.  Obi-Wan, slightly bored with nobody to entertain with his Force enhanced bartending skills, began to work on an original drink.

            “Benny, you are wasting quite a bit of liquor there,” Solla said, leaning up against the counter, arms folded, watching him work.  “What are you doing?”

            “I want to make a new drink, name it after Mayli.  I want it to look like her hair and taste like her,” he said, studying their inventory, pulling a few bottles off the shelf.

            “Taste like her?” Gradie asked snidely, raising an eyebrow.  “That’s getting a bit private there, Ben.  I mean, a woman’s…”

            “Don’t even,” hissed Solla at Gradie before Obi-Wan could say anything.  She threw a wet towel in his face.

            Obi-Wan sighed.  “I just want it to taste good and look good.  Mayli shines like the suns and her kisses,” he said, emphasizing the last word.  “Taste sweet.”

            Drag feigned gagging.  “Benny man, you’re going to make us sick with all this sugar you’re spooning us.”

            “I think it’s nice, you rotten boys.  He loves his woman, the mother of his baby,” Solla said, then rolled her eyes and headed down the bar.

            Obi-Wan followed, hoping to engage Solla in some private conversation, curious about her since he spent the afternoon in her home weeks before.

            “Solla, may I ask a question?” he said.  She nodded.  “Who were those women in the holopic hanging near your bed?”

            “Nosey man, aren’t you?” she asked, not unkindly.  “My sisters.  I was the middle child.  My oldest sister, Zella, raised us when my parents died.” She looked at the counter, sad in her memory.  “I don’t remember them, but I do remember Zella, loving, funny, always made sure we had enough.  Wanted to name one of my babies after her.”

            “Babies?” he asked, again marveling at the normalcy of Solla’s life, Force sensitive yet unnoticed by the Jedi.  How many others?

            “I got pregnant three times.  The first time, my husband and I were so thrilled.  But I miscarried, late too.  Far enough along to know it was a girl.  Could have been a Zella,” she said, staring at the counter, absentmindedly drying the same glass over and over.  “Same with other two.  All girls.  All gone.  Wasn’t meant to be.”

            Obi-Wan didn’t respond, watching Solla lost in thought.  How horrible, to lose a child.  He couldn’t imagine; he now looked so forward to his and Mayli’s baby arriving, he occasionally felt like leaping up and down like a youngling excited over dessert.

            “I’m sorry,” he said, knowing the words really meant nothing when something of that magnitude occurred.

            She shrugged, seeming to come out of her trance.  “You get used to lose.  Lost Zella to a fever right before I married.  Had her own husband and kids, moisture farm.  He actually moved away to his homeworld after.  Fondor.  But he loved Zella.  Everyone did.  She was so funny, sharp, taught me to cook, and encouraged me to go into business.” Solla sighed.  “Then I lost the babies.  Lost my husband ten years ago. You get used to lose, but…you don’t have to like it.”

            Obi-Wan nodded, knowing he’d somehow gotten used to the idea of having lost almost everyone and everything he held dear.  But thinking of Mayli, he knew other things came along.

            Solla laughed.  “Zella taught me to quilt and do needlework, but I think I’ve gotten better than she ever was.  But the thing is, Benny, she wouldn’t have cared.  She would have wanted me to be better.  That’s just the type of person she was, always wanting others to be happy, always raising up other people.  You would’ve liked her.”

            “She sounds wonderful,” Obi-Wan said, glad to have a more complete picture of Solla.

            “Yo, Ben.  Beer,” called Gradie.

            Solla waved him away, and Obi-Wan served his friends before going back to work to create “The Mayli.”

            Mayli crinkled her nose, studying her surroundings.  The stench emanating from the slime made her gag at first.  How anyone could live here was beyond her.  She would need to tell Obi-Wan he definitely got the better exile planet.

            She’d parked the ship on a giant slab of flat rock, a couple of kilometers from an area she saw what looked like a campfire from the air.  After putting on her grubbiest boots and pants, she ventured out with a pack of supplies, planning not to go too far from the ship.

            “Master Yoda!” she yelled into the misty swamp, only greeted by the sounds of birds and the occasional splashing of water.  “Yoda?  Grand Master Yoda!”  She continued to call his name as she trudged through the muck, certain he knew she was there, that calling a Jedi remained unnecessary.  Yet, hearing her own voice provided a bit of comfort. 

            Suddenly, Mayli stopped, gasping.  She felt a tumbling motion in her stomach, no below, where the baby rested.  A series of twitches…movement….the baby kicked!  She sat down on a nearby fallen tree, overwhelmed, truly feeling the baby for the first time.  Placing one hand on her stomach, the other over her mouth, she sat for a long time, focusing on the baby, filled with pure happiness.  Too bad Obi-Wan wasn’t there to experience the first kicks.

            But someone else was.  After the child calmed a bit, Mayli raised her head to see a small green creature dressed in little brown robes sitting across from her.  His kind face and sparkling eyes smiled broadly at her, the points of his ears moving.

            “Such happiness,” he said in a soft voice.  “Not in a while, haven’t felt it.  No…no.”

            “Master Yoda,” she said and couldn’t help but smile as well.  “I…ohhhh!”

            The baby began to move again, and this time, Yoda left his spot and came toward her.

            “May I?” he asked.

            Mayli nodded, and Yoda put his tiny hand on her stomach, closing his eyes and grinning as the child became more active.  When the baby slowed down again, Mayli watched Yoda’s smile disappear, and he opened his eyes, removed his hand, and looked up at her, shocked.

            “Obi-Wan Kenobi,” he said plainly.

            “Yes…I come from Obi-Wan.  I’m Mayli,” she said, noticing Yoda took a couple of steps away from her. 

            “The child…is Obi-Wan’s?”

            Mayli felt herself blushing.  “Yes…we’ve been together for a while…”

            “A while?”

            “A couple of years.  On Tatooine, I was a refugee like him and…”

            “Abandoned the Code, Obi-Wan has,” Yoda said, looking down at the ground in deep dismay. “Sad, I am.”

            All happiness from the baby kicking left Mayli, and she felt anger…no rage…building inside her.  How dare this Yoda make her feel ashamed of being with Obi-Wan, like some dirty Mos Eisley tramp, seducing him, rather than his desert princess.  Knowing her anger was fueled by a mix of real feelings and unbalanced hormones, she leaped to her feet.

            “Listen, I take care of Obi-Wan, and he takes care of me.  We love each other.  And he hasn’t abandoned your stupid Code.  He is the bravest, kindest man I’ve ever known, and he is excited about this baby and so am I,” she yelled at Yoda, who looked at her with wide eyes.  Since she towered over him, she could easily kick him in his dumb, shocked face.  “He worried you would be disappointed in him, and I assured him not.  But now I see I was a fool, and you are some judgmental little swamp monster.  Good-bye!”

            And with that, she turned and walked quickly back to the ship.  Dagobah proved to be a difficult planet to storm off from someone on, considering the terrain, but she retraced her previous steps well, fuming. 

            “Wait!” she heard Yoda call behind her, but she didn’t turn around.  She arrived at the ship within fifteen minutes, brought down the ramp, stormed up, and closed the hatch.  But she didn’t go to the cockpit.  Instead, she slid down in the hallway and cried, her feelings hurt, angry that Yoda did not support Obi-Wan. 

            Knowing she was in no condition to fly out at the moment, she got up and went to her quarters, cleaning up and slipping into nightwear before lying on the bed.  She curled up, placing both hands on her stomach, focusing once again on the baby, who moved softly once before she fell asleep.

            Mayli awoke hours later, her eyes adjusting to the bedside light she’d left on.  Sitting up, she gasped.  Yoda sat in the chair across the room, snoring softly.  Mayli grabbed one of her pillows and tossed it at him, startling him awake and knocking him from the chair to the floor.  Yoda grunted.

            “Get out!” she screamed.  “How did you get in here, you rotten thing?!  Get out of my room!  Get off my ship!”

            Yoda got to his feet slowly, and Mayli froze as she leaped off the bed.  She’d heard about Yoda thousands of times from Obi-Wan, one of the people he admired most in the galaxy, quite possibly number one.  He spoke of Yoda’s power and knowledge.  But this Yoda before Mayli coughed a bit and struggled to his feet.  This Yoda looked hurt, physically and in spirit. 

            “Sorry, I am, Mayli…Kenobi,” he said, finally rising and heading toward the door.

            “No…Mayli Solamen.  We are not married.  No public records,” she said, now standing in her pajamas, Yoda in the doorway.  “But I am his mate, his companion.”  They looked at each other in silence for a long time.  “How did you get in here?”

            Yoda shrugged.  “Jedi.”

            “Yeah, well Obi is a Jedi, and he respects me and my space,” Mayli hissed back.  “Now why don’t you turn your little ass around and…”

            “I see…” he hesitated, then walked over to a holopic she had on the wall in a small wooden frame she’d made.  The image showed her and Obi-Wan at the cantina, both smiling broadly.  She remembered Yarna taking the image about a year ago, after a late-night sabacc game with their friends.  “Healthy and happy Obi-Wan is.”

            “Yes, he is…for the most part.  But he worries a lot about the future of the Jedi.  And he feels a lot of guilt.”

            “Guilt?” Yoda asked, looking back at her.  “Feel no guilt Master Kenobi should.  Guilty I am.  Failed I have.”  He walked over to Mayli and took her hand.  “Of Obi-Wan, please tell me.”

            Mayli brushed his hand away.  She still felt anger toward Yoda, having ruined the moment of her baby’s first kicks, making her feel like Obi-Wan’s grand mistake.  But as she backed away from the Jedi Master, she watched him sink to the floor, looking completely defeated, beginning to cry.

            He looked so small and pathetic, Mayli kneeled beside him and wrapped her arms around his small body as he shook with quiet sobs. She reminded herself Yoda experienced the same horrors as Obi-Wan, but engaged in a battle with Palpatine himself, the Sith master.  Obi-Wan mentioned he seemed physically drained before they parted, worried about Yoda’s general health.  On top of that, he lived on this world void of other sentient life, truly alone.  Obi-Wan had Mayli, his work, their friends, even Sniff the Eopie.  He had Luke to check on weekly from afar, something to look forward to with the baby coming.  Yoda had none of that.  At that moment, she forgave his initial rudeness; she had to, for Obi-Wan’s sake. 

            “Would you like to talk with Obi-Wan?” she asked as Yoda sat back, drying his eyes with the back of his hand. 

            Yoda looked puzzled.  “Impossible.”

            Mayli smiled warmly.  “No.  I brought a way.  Senator Organa is uniting a rebellion against the Empire, and I am responsible for delivering comm devices to the southern part of the galaxy.  And I have one for you.  One you can use to speak directly to Obi-Wan.  You already have a code name.  Green Friend.  I am the Bird.  Obi is Daddy O, and Senator Organa is Dragon.  And there are others, but you can just talk to Obi if you want.  Although Senator Organa would probably like you to be more involved as a…”

            “Organizing a rebellion?  But gone the Jedi are,” Yoda said, his eyes wide with surprise.

            “No offense, Master Yoda, but non-Jedi can accomplish things as well,” Mayli said, trying not to sound too snide.  She now began to see perhaps where Yoda went wrong, the supposed most powerful Jedi not seeing a Sith lord right in front of him, arrogant in the power of the Jedi.  She’d heard Obi-Wan speak often about their vanity leading to their ultimate destruction.

            Yoda smiled up at her.  “Impressed I am with you, Mayli.  Found a good match Obi-Wan has.”

            Mayli pulled Yoda to his feet and began to lead him to the galley.  “You won’t be able to speak with Obi plainly…”

            “Obi?” Yoda chuckled, a pleasant, cute sound.

            Mayli laughed too.  “Well, he’s actually Ben Kenobi, but I call him Ben and Obi and sweetheart and…other things.” She gestured toward the dining table, and Yoda sat.  “You’ll need to speak in code.  But Obi-Wan wanted you to know about him…his journey, he phrased it.  He didn’t want to do a holo-recording since it might be sliced, so…he wanted me to tell you his story since you parted ways.”

            Yoda nodded.

            “Then I can set up the comm device in your home, and we can make contact,” she said.

            She launched into the story as she fixed a small meal for them, noticing Yoda ate like a starving krayt dragon during mating season.  She imagined quality meals to be difficult to come by on Dagobah, and she looked through her pantry as she cooked and talked, wondering how much she could leave behind for him. 

            When she got to the part about the Sith Scholars, Yoda questioned her at length, concerned about the prospect of more Sith in the galaxy.  Mayli grimaced slightly, realizing he did not get any news on Dagobah, didn’t know about the Inquisitors, much less the fact that some, like the one who led the inspection on Tatooine, were former Jedi.

            Mayli talked about Obi-Wan’s brush with the Dark Side through the Sith holocron, remembering Obi-Wan seemed animate about sharing everything with Yoda, even the bad.  She talked about him being kidnapped and defeating the Sith by destroying their station and how one Sith, the leering Jac, remained alive. She talked about their home and Obi-Wan’s work at the bar and his argument with Beru and Owen and the discovery of Anakin’s crime against the Sand People.  She told Yoda about Obi-Wan training every morning with his lightsaber and meditating in the garden she built for him and conversations with Qui-Gon.  She spoke of their friends and Obi-Wan meeting her parents and delivering devices for the rebellion.  She hesitated momentarily before telling him about the former-Jedi Inquisitor, but did, then launching in on the latest news of the galaxy, and how she saw the dreaded Darth Vader in person, from afar, but as close as she ever needed to get to him, thank you very much.

            When she finished, the meal long gone, Yoda nodded, and looked up at her.  “Thank you.”

            “What can I tell Obi-Wan of you?” she asked, beginning to clear the dishes.

            “Tell him…the swamps I walk. Visit a Dark Side site to train, induce visions.  Over food I fight with the local rodent population.”

            Mayli giggled, and Yoda gave her his joyous smile.  “Glad I am Obi-Wan found you.  A good woman you are. For earlier my apologies.”  He paused.  “Lost for weeks in visions I get.  Broken my body is.  And Qui-Gon absent for a while.  First living thing I’ve spoken to in years you are, Mayli.”

            “Well, let’s change that,” Mayli said cheerfully, although Yoda now made her sad.

            After trudging through the swamp muck, the duo arrived at Yoda’s small hut, Mayli ducking in through the door, delighted to see the cozy interior, small but perfect for the little Jedi.

            Mayli took out her data pad to check the time conversion table.  “Looks like we have about a standard hour or so before Obi will be near the device.  I’ll send a message so he knows we’re waiting.” She keyed in the code, the comm going live.  “Daddy O, this is Bird.  I am with Green Friend.  Please respond.  We are waiting.”

            She set the device on the little table and turned to Yoda, who had begun to move about the small hut, humming away.  “For you I fix dinner.  Repayment for delicious brunch,” he said.

            “Thank you, Master Yoda.  I really do…” but her voice faded away, watching him prep a stew over a small fire. 

            He chopped up various plants and fungi, none that looked particularly appetizing.  And the smell soon filled the room, making Mayli’s stomach a bit weak.  She saw he had some sort of fish hanging from the ceiling, and, using the Force, he brought it to him and began to debone and slice the meat.  After adding it to the stew, Mayli knew it would take all her willpower to get a bite down, but she needed to, since they started out on the wrong foot.

            After some time, Yoda brought bowls to the table and crawled up onto a chair, Mayli just sitting on the floor.  Mayli looked down at the bowl, the greyish concoction resembling something Sniff coughed up.  She took her utensil in hand, giving a smile to the waiting Yoda, who seemed to want to watch her take the first bite.  Oh dear…

            A pinging sound interrupted the silence.  The device!  Obi-Wan.  Mayli dropped the spoon and picked up the comm in relief.

            “Daddy O here,” came Obi-Wan’s voice, the delight and eagerness pouring through in his tone.  “I am at the comm now.  Please respond.”

            Mayli smiled up at Yoda, who stared at the device, his mouth hanging open.  “Master Kenobi,” he whispered.

            “Daddy O, Bird here.  I am going to hand you over to Green Friend,” she leaned the microphone to Yoda.  “Say something,” she encouraged.

            “Daddy O…I…” stammered Yoda, obviously overwhelmed.  “A miracle of the Force hearing your voice is.”

            The usual delay seemed to last forever, but soon Obi-Wan responded, his voice sounding thick, Mayli picturing him equally overwhelmed in that small hidden room in the compost shed.

            “Green…Friend…I…you are well?” Obi-Wan responded.

            Mayli put her hand on Yoda’s shoulder.  “I will let you two talk in private.  But remember to keep things in code.”

            Yoda nodded, and Mayli slipped out the door, happy to give the two men a chance to catch up, and glad to find a way out Yoda’s swamp stew. 

            She sat on a log at the edge of a small, muddy lake, watching bog birds fly over, occasionally diving down for a slimy fish.  An eel worked its way across the surface of the water.

            How had this come to be, Mayli the linking force between the last two Jedi masters?  Before the fall of the Republic, Mayli just flew delivery for small businesses, and now she worked for a crime lord, played courier for a growing rebellion, and carried the child of a Jedi.  She knew she wasn’t anything special, just another pilot, just another woman from a middle class home in the Core.  How had she come to know these extraordinary people in these dark times?

            Mayli picked the muddy ground with a stick, now thinking about Yoda’s exile, how different from Obi-Wan’s.  The small master seemed to be punishing himself for his perceived failure.  A sudden cackle of laughter filled the area, coming from the hut, and Mayli felt her heart fill with joy.  Master Yoda, although broken down by the chain of events that brought an end to the Jedi and the Republic, reconnected with the galaxy, with a friend.  Mayli felt a warmth flow through her, proud she’d been the one to help him in his solitude.

            Obi-Wan came out of the compost shed, holding the empty bucket he’d used as his front to go check on the device.  He could not stop smiling, his whole being glowing from having spoken with Master Yoda.  Mayli had, like usual, been right.  He needed to hear his friend, and from the sounds of things, Master Yoda needed him as well.

            “Ben!” a man shouted, startling Obi-Wan from his thoughts.  He turned to see Wires walking toward him.  “Man, I thought that dumb Gamorrean took out the compost.  What you doing here?”

            “Oh…the bin just got full,” Obi-Wan lied.  “What’s up?”

            “Just got back from a run to our warehouse in Kuat.  There was a giant crate there, addressed to Mayli.  From the Coruscant Children’s Company? You two order something for the baby?” Wires asked, leading Obi-Wan to the hanger near the landing strip. 

            Although puzzled, Obi-Wan said quickly, “Oh…yes.  Mayli saw some things she liked and…” he stopped, eyes going wide at the large crate to which Wires pointed.   What in the world?

            With Wires’ help, Obi-Wan pried open the crate, pushing aside the packing material, then stepping back to admire the piece.  A beautiful, delicately carved wooden crib stood before them, another crate resting inside.  Obi-Wan opened the box to find it filled with high quality baby clothes, some looking slightly worn, others brand new, with the store labels still attached.  Glancing up from the box, he saw a familiar design carved into the wood of the crib, very small, seeming to be just another of the flowered designs to the uneducated eye.  But Obi-Wan knew it to be the crest of the royal family of Alderaan.

            “I don’t know about such things, Ben, but that is a nice looking crib,” Wires said.  “Your baby is going to sleep in luxury, like a little prince or princess.”

            Obi-Wan could only nod, stepping back again, knowing this to be the crib of a real little princess. 

            Talking with Master Yoda for the first time in years, a thoughtful, wonderful gift from Bail, Mayli having his child and knowing just the things he needed to be healthy, mentally, physically, and emotionally. The light side of the Force surged through Obi-Wan, making him practically float with a giddy happiness.  He felt surrounded by love, even standing there in Jabba the Hutt’s hanger in the sweltering afternoon heat on Tatooine. 

****


	12. A Day at Home

**Chapter Twelve**

**A Day at Home**

            Light from the first sunrise seeped into the bedroom, awakening Obi-Wan.  He groaned slightly, his body suddenly awake, on auto-pilot, ready to get up for his daily early morning training and meditation.  But his mind wanted to stay in bed, as he was wrapped up quite comfortably next to Mayli, whose gentle, steady breathing and soft, warm body made him feel a sense of serenity.  But staying in bed when training needed to be done was not the Jedi way.

            Moving out of bed slowly, wearing only his underwear, he stretched and yawned, walking toward the door for the kitchen for a small snack before he began.  He glanced back at Mayli and stopped.  She lay on her side, their light blankets half off, her sleep shirt askew in a way to show her panties.  Her hair was delightfully messed up, across her face, across the pillow, and he wanted to rejoin her and bury his face in her locks.

            When he’d been a youngling in the Temple, sleeping in was unheard of.  A Master would awaken the students early, often in unpleasantly loud ways.  And when he became Qui-Gon’s apprentice, he never had a chance to lounge the morning away.  Of course while training Anakin, Obi-Wan needed to be the example (for all the good that did).  And then the Clone Wars…Obi-Wan sighed, realizing he’d been conditioned to get up and go, never to stay, relax, and just be.

            And the Jedi way did not seem too appealing this morning.  He glanced back into the living room, to the chest where the lightsabers were stored, and shook his head.  No, he needed to stay on track with things…maybe Beru and Owen would change their minds about Luke, maybe Darth Vader would arrive on Tatooine.  He couldn’t let things slide.

            Mayli shifted, turning to her other side, and nuzzled into his empty pillow, her pregnant belly now showing as the sleep shirt rode up further.  She sighed contentedly, and Obi-Wan cracked.  No training today…he wanted to be with his love.  He moved back into bed, wrapped himself around Mayli, their legs tangled together, and dozed off again.  Very un-Jedi, but who would be around to chastise him for his behavior?  He’d been diligent for months; he needed a day off from being a Jedi.

            Awakening a little time later, he felt Mayli kissing his neck, her hands moving gently across his bare chest.

            “You stayed in bed,” she said softly.

            “Is that okay?” he asked, turning to kiss her.

            “Oh yes.  I mean, I can’t stretch out like normal, but this is much better,” she said, then began kissing him deeper, her hand trailing across his body.

            Obi-Wan realized his usual morning erection, which he often suppressed as he got ready for training, pressed against Mayli’s leg, and she moved herself against him, making his whole body tingle with passion.

            “Hmmm…sweetheart,” she cooed in his ear, her hand now sliding down to grip his member.  “Want me to take care of that for you?”

            “No…well…yes, very much…but that’s not why I stayed in bed this morning,” he stammered, but Mayli sat up giggling and put a finger over his lips to silence him.

            She then dived under the blanket, Obi-Wan feeling her pull down his underwear, her hair tickling his legs as she did so.  Then her mouth enveloped him, and he gasped at her sudden move.  She gripped the base of his erection with her hand and moved him as far into her mouth as he would go, beginning to suck hard.  Ah yes, definitely better than training.

            Mayli’s free hand brushed against his stomach and chest as she pleasured him, and Obi-Wan closed his eyes, allowing passion to roll through him as he combed his fingers through her hair.  She moved her mouth from him, her lips and tongue gracing the tip of his penis, a move that drove him to the edge, and he thrust gently against her.  But he didn’t want release like this; this usually didn’t last too long, and he was feeling rather slow today, relaxed.  Just as she moved to take him in her mouth again, he pulled at her shirt, and she emerged from under the blankets, pulling the shirt over her head and lying beside him, her hand now gripping him, pumping him slowly.

            He leaned down to kiss her breasts gently, remembering she’d experienced sensitivity to that area more frequently over the past few weeks.  Caressing them, knowing sometimes she found the sensitivity arousing and other times irritating, today he seemed to luck out as she moaned in pleasure.  He marveled at the changes in her body throughout her pregnancy.  While she often complained, he found her simply beautiful.

            They kissed again, Obi-Wan tasting a bit of himself on her lips, and she shifted to slip her panties down, tossing them onto the floor.

            “I’m so glad you stayed in bed, Obi,” she breathed into him as he turned to his side, and they pressed their bodies flush together. 

            “Me too,” he murmured, his tongue moving into her mouth, hand moving down to squeeze her rear. 

            She ran her fingertips up and down his erection, and he suddenly needed to enter her.  She seemed to feel his need, and giggled, moving onto her back as he rolled on top of her.  Due to her pregnant belly, he needed to sit up slightly as he entered her, but this allowed him to eventually rest his head on her swollen breasts, kissing them tenderly along the sides and underneath as he thrust slowly into her.

            “Oh Ben,” she groaned. 

            His thrusts were long and slow, and he wrapped his arms around her, gripping her back as she held him tightly with all her limbs, her legs tightly pulling him in as deep as possible.  He sighed as her smooth thighs moved against his hips.

            “I…love you,” he murmured into her cleavage, feeling ecstasy take over. 

He whispered her name with each long, slow thrust, their lovemaking relaxed, perfect for a lazy morning.  His release came with an intense, long-lasting climax, and he heard her sigh contentedly underneath him, prolonging his pleasure.

They stopped moving and just clung to each other, Obi-Wan nuzzling and kissing her breasts gently.  Suddenly, Mayli gasped loudly and clung to him, her nails digging into his back.

“Obi!” she yelped.  “What are you doing?  Let us down!”

Obi-Wan looked up from her breasts, his eyes going wide.  They hovered above the bed, nearly four feet in the air.  In his elation, he hadn’t noticed.  When had this happened?

Concentrating, he brought them down gently and moved off of her, running his hand through his mussed up hair, trying to think about when he’d accessed the Force, raised them into the air.  He finally looked over to Mayli to see her shocked and amused.

“Well, that was new,” she laughed, scooting over to lay on his chest.

“I didn’t know I did that.  I didn’t know I could do that,” he admitted.  “I never…that was…um…”

“They didn’t teach you Force sex education at the Temple?”

            Obi-Wan laughed at the thought.  “Force sex education?  I couldn’t even imagine.”

            “Well, didn’t they talk about sex?”

            “Yes, we learned the basics as younglings but then moved on,” he considered.  “But Force sex?” He continued to laugh at the thought.

            She sat up and looked at him, her eyes wide.  “Imagine the possibilities.  I mean, you’ve already done that thing where you…well, touch me,” she leaned back into him blushing and giggling.  “Didn’t anyone ever experiment with Force sex?”

            “Not Jedi…not that I know of.  Well, at least no one made an official report,” Obi-Wan said, but then he began to wonder.  He remembered the Sith Scholars and their laboratories.  He wondered if Force sex, as Mayli so comically put it, had been an object of study. 

            He couldn’t explain how they ended up in the air, but he enjoyed the sensation, and felt relaxed and a little lazy, comfortable in his home with his woman.  He wrapped his arms around her.  “So, what is on the agenda today?”

            “Force sex,” she mumbled against him, and yawned.  “Snuggling and….ugh, gotta pee.”

            She moved out of bed and disappeared toward the ‘fresher, but not before Obi-Wan got a nice, satisfying look at her butt.

            She returned a few minutes later carrying two cups of decaf, still completely naked.

            “Let’s not get dressed at all today,” Obi-Wan said, surprising himself by saying something so silly aloud.  He took the mug and pulled her back into bed.

            “Really?”

            “Yes, I enjoy looking at you,” Obi-Wan said, taking a sip as Mayli settled.

            “You don’t think I look like a Hutt?” she asked, pouting a little.

            “A Hutt?!” Obi-Wan laughed.  “Mayli, you are the most beautiful thing in the world.  No, in the galaxy.”

            “The universe?”

            “And beyond,” he said, snuggling back into her.

            “Okay, naked day.  But we have some work to do outside.  Hope Sniff is okay with our decision,” she said.

            “Well, every day is naked day for Sniff,” Obi-Wan shrugged.  “He seems pretty indifferent about everything except for food.”

            “His allergies seem to be returning.  Maybe he’d grown immune to the…oohhh, the baby’s kicking again!”

            Obi-Wan placed his cheek on her belly and grinned, feeling the child move, reaching out to touch their baby with the Force, sending happy, warm feelings.  He looked up at Mayli.

            “What is that smile about?” Mayli said as he moved back up and leaned against her shoulder, taking another sip of caf.

            “I have a home.  I have a family.  I never would have thought, all those years ago in my simple cell at the Temple…”

            “Cell?  Now that sounds appealing,” Mayli said sarcastically, then sighed.  “But who am I to talk?  I lived on a freighter.”  She took a drink.  “I love our home.  Despite it being on Tatooine.”

            Obi-Wan looked around their bedroom, the life they’ve developed in the nearly three years they’d been together.  Their clothing in the small closet, a couple holopics and pieces of art on the walls, various linens on a shelf.  Mismatched, comfortable, him and Mayli.

            They quietly finished their caf, and Mayli snuggled back against him. 

            “What are we going to name the baby?” Mayli asked.

            Obi-Wan considered names before, but the couple hadn’t spoken together yet. 

            “In my family, we usually have a family name involved somehow.  My middle name belonged to my mom’s mother, Allona.  But Mayli came from one of my mother’s best friends in school,” Mayli said.  “I wonder where your name came from.”

            Obi-Wan wondered as well.  Was he named for his father?  Another relative?  He wished he knew.  Did the Jedi keep such records?  Of course, those records would be gone…

            “I think…well, maybe Qui-Gon for a boy,” he said after some time considering.

            Mayli grinned over at him.  “I like that.  Maybe with my dad’s name.  Qui-Gon Xander Kenobi.”

            Obi-Wan laughed.  “That’s a mouthful.” He paused again.  “How about Zella for a girl?”

            Mayli looked at him, tears in her eyes.  “After Solla’s sister…oohhh, that would be wonderful.  And it’s such a pretty name.  I looked it up after you told me.  Means sunrise in the pre-Basic Tatooine tongue.”  The tears escaped down her cheeks.  “That is just…oh for goodness sake, I’m so damn emotional about every little thing.”  She laughed as she wiped her face.  “Zella Kenobi.”

            “Zella Rey Kenobi,” Obi-Wan finished.

            Mayli began to laugh and cry again, delighting Obi-Wan in her mix of emotions.  He took her empty mug, put it on the floor with his, and took her in his arms, holding her tight.  They talked and dozed for another two hours, Obi-Wan very glad he didn’t train that morning.

            Naked day didn’t totally work out, as Mayli just felt more comfortable dressed.  But she donned one of the new tunics from Ryloth, perfect for her stage of pregnancy.  She sat on the floor in the baby’s room with Obi-Wan, going through the box they’d received from Senator Organa, marveling at the beautiful things.  Mostly clothing, the box also contained some toys at the bottom, Mayli again feeling a bit overwhelmed to see new things along with items she knew the little Princess Leia played with in her first year. 

            A week had passed since her return from Dagobah, and Obi-Wan continued to be in an upbeat mood, whistling around the house, singing as he worked on a new routine for the bar, even grabbing her in the kitchen as they cleaned up one evening to twirl around their home in a music-less dance.  While she loved her serious Obi-Wan, this silly, soon-to-be-father was a delight as well.  

            “Look at this,” she said, holding up a little blue sleeper for Obi-Wan to see.  “So tiny.  Oh Ben, I just can’t wait.”

            Obi-Wan fiddled with some of the toys before folding more clothing.  “I wonder if our child will ever get to meet Leia and Bail.”

            “I can bring him.  Or her.  Maybe visit Yoda as well,” Mayli said, looking at a miniature pair of socks. 

            “I thought you and Yoda didn’t hit it off,” Obi-Wan said, looking at her curiously. 

            “Well, we didn’t.  But I was hormonal.  He is undernourished.  We figured it out,” she said, then shuddered remembering Yoda’s swamp stew.  She looked at Obi-Wan, her brow furrowed in concern.  “But seriously, Obi, he lives…poorly.  Some of the things he considers food…”

            Obi-Wan chuckled jovially.  “Yoda always had a special diet.  I remember one time Anakin, Mace, and I picked up his food from the kitchen before a meeting, and the smell almost made us all pass out in the lift.”

            Mayli didn’t laugh.  She’d told Obi-Wan about Yoda, how broken he looked, and he’d just shrugged it off.  “And the air there.  I’m not Force sensitive, but there’s…evil.”

            “There is a lot of Dark Side energy on Dagobah, from a past event.  But it masks Yoda’s presence in the Force.  Hides him.  It’s literally the only place he can truly remain safe,” Obi-Wan explained.

            Mayli studied him for a moment, then returned her attention to the box of clothing.  Obi-Wan knew Yoda all his life, and to him, the little Jedi Master must seem indestructible, always present.  Like Mayli viewed her parents, she thought.  She simply felt they were forever, knowing logically this to be false.  She imagined Obi-Wan held the same sentiment toward Yoda.

            “Yoda Xander Kenobi,” Mayli said.

            Obi-Wan scrunched up his face thoughtfully.  “Call him Yo for short?”

            Mayli burst out laughing, Obi-Wan grinning at her in delight.

            “I prefer Qui-Gon,” Mayli said, regaining her voice.  “Or Jabba.  Jabba Kenobi.”

            “Ugh.  No,” he said, exaggerating disgust.  “How about Max?  Max Kenobi.”

            “That actually sounds good,” she said, considering a light yellow onesie.  She imagined the baby in it, a tuft of Obi-Wan’s auburn hair on her (or his) head.  “I hope the baby has your hair color.  Minus the grays, of course.”

            “Excuse me?” Obi-Wan said.  “Grays?”  He leaned toward her with a mischievous look.

            “Only a few.  Well, more than a few, old man,” she teased, and Obi-Wan pounced her across the box, knocking her softly to the floor.  He began to tickle her sides, making her laugh hard.  “Stop, Obi!  Laughing sometimes causes me to…have…an…accident.”

            Obi-Wan stopped, but Mayli used the opportunity to flip him over, pinning him under her and tickling him.  He roared in laughter, rewarding Mayli’s efforts, but he soon gained control over her again, and she found him on top, no longer tickling, but kissing her neck, her cheeks, her lips.  Toys and clothing strewn everywhere, Mayli felt herself getting turned on again as Obi-Wan draped himself over her between her legs.

            She moaned softly in his ear.  “Hmmm…ready for more, sweet man?”

            “Yes, darling,” he whispered in her ear, his hot breath making her shudder with desire.

            He moved toward her lips, his tongue entering her mouth, just as the sound of a ship filled the house.

            Getting up and heading for the door, the couple ran to the edge of the cliff, looking down to the valley floor.  Parked near their cave in which the Womp Rat One rested, an Imperial transport turned off, and two stormtroopers emerged, heading toward the path leading to the house.

            “Damn, this is probably about that stupid census,” Mayli said, running with Obi-Wan back to their room to gather robes, as neither dressed for visitors.  “You gonna use that mind game on them?”

            “Yes,” Obi-Wan said in childlike eagerness.  “Haven’t had an opportunity to practice.”

            “Don’t they have more appropriate armor for the desert?” Mayli asked as they dressed together quickly in their room.

            “I see they’re using a modified version of the clone armor.  We did have different versions but…maybe the Empire is just cheap,” Obi-Wan shrugged, straightening his brown robes.

            “Well, with the way they tax everyone, you gotta wonder where their money is going,” Mayli said.  “Certainly not in training.  I wonder if the Emperor…”

            But a horrible hacking sound interrupted Mayli, and they both turned toward the open window, Sniff’s enclosure nearby.

            “It sounds like he’s dying,” Mayli gasped, Obi-Wan looking equally dismayed.  “You handle the troopers, I’ll check on Sniff.”

            A loud knock sounded on the door, and Obi-Wan headed toward the front while Mayli slipped out the back.  Coming into the enclosure, she saw Sniff in his shelter, his whole body shaking.  She went inside and wrapped her arms around his neck, petting him softly and humming, knowing this usually worked to calm him down.  She loved the eopie dearly, but often wondered how she and Obi-Wan ended up with such a sickly creature.  Several minutes of this passed, Mayli finally calming the beast down. 

            “There, there Sniffy,” she said softly as he nuzzled her.  “You’re all right.”

            Obi-Wan burst into the shed, Mayli seeing the stormtroopers several yards behind.  He looked panicked.

            “The mind trick worked on one, but not fully on the other.  I have one convinced we already took the census and the other almost there but suspicious.  I created a story about us being eopie breeders.  Just the first thing…”

            “You only have one eopie?” one of the stormtroopers asked when he entered the shed.

            “Leland, they already took the census,” the other argued.

            Obi-Wan waved his arm causally and said, “We already took the census.”

            “You already took the…but the records indicate otherwise,” said the skeptical trooper.

            Obi-Wan looked at Mayli with uncertainty.  She’d never seen the mind trick fail before, but they never encountered an intelligent stormtrooper.  Mayli knew the strong-minded could not fall victim to the Jedi manipulation.

She opened her mouth to speak, but at that moment, Sniff made a tremendous choking sound and coughed up a stomach full of snot, right in the faces of both troopers.  Their white armor now streaked with green and grey slime, they both stepped back shocked, removing their helmets and gagging at the smell.

Mayli rarely saw stormtroopers without their helmets, and she couldn’t help but stare.  Both men were barely into adulthood, boys really, and Mayli felt sad that they’d been recruited into the Imperial troops, thinking they’d make a difference, but in reality worked to further the evil spreading throughout the galaxy.  At that moment, she simply felt bad for them, especially since whatever Sniff coughed up appeared to have been in him a while.

“Oh dear,” she said, pulling both troopers out of the shelter into Sniff’s yard, glancing back at the animal to see he looked much better.  “Let me get you a towel.  Our eopie has been ailing lately.”

She ran into the kitchen and grabbed an old cloth, returning quickly to see Obi-Wan talking with the troopers.

“Just because the Empire lost the records does not mean we need to keep filing,” he argued.  “They’ll just tax us twice.”

“They already filed,” said the trooper that Obi-Wan’s mind trick did work on with such conviction, his partner now seemed uncertain.

“I’m sorry about our eopie,” Mayli said, handing over the cloth.  As they wiped up, Mayli continued.  “Listen, we’re expecting our first child, and we are barely getting by.  We cannot file again, risking double taxation.  I’m sure our records are there somewhere, probably in some database you cannot access.  Max here cannot work many hours due to injury, my pregnancy has been rough.  Please don’t make us file again.  If we get taxed twice, how can we fix that out in the middle of nowhere on an Outer Rim world?” She grabbed the towel, wiping off the skeptical soldier’s shoulders, then a patch on his face, putting all her motherly warmth into it.  They were both just boys after all.

“They already filed,” said the manipulated stormtrooper.

The other studied Mayli carefully, glancing at her up and down.  He then nodded and rose.  “Okay.  But we are not stationed here on Tatooine, just passing through.  So another patrol may come by if the glitch is not fixed.”  He put a nose to his arm and grimaced.  “Damn, something is wrong with that animal.  Come on Garrison, we need baths.”

And just like that, the troopers left, Obi-Wan staring at Mayli.

“You are marvelous.  A delightful liar.  A true rebel,” he said, impressed. 

“Like I told Yoda, we non-Jedi can do things too.  And I can only play the pathetic pregnant woman for only three more standard months, so I might as well use it,” she said, returning to the shed to check on Sniff with Obi-Wan.  “But he’s right.  There’ll be more.”

Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully. 

“They were just boys, Obi,” Mayli said, petting Sniff.  “Just boys.”

“I know,” he answered, then brightened.  “Well, Sniff seems decongested.”

Mayli gave the eopie one last pet, then grabbed Obi-Wan’s hand. “Let’s finish what we started before the Empire rudely interrupted us.”

Obi-Wan eagerly gripped her waist as they headed into the house.

The following week, Kell began to shut down his equipment for the evening, yawning heavily, his son snoozing on the seat beside his.  The past few weeks brought nothing of interest, and he found himself venturing out often into the Endor woods with Sky, his son practicing his anthropological skills, drawing and journaling.  Kell now noticed his son’s disposition toward art, painting and drawing specifically, and he wondered again where his Sky got his talents.

Just before turning off his own equipment, he paused, realizing he hadn’t plugged in the mystery frequency in a while.  A few weeks, in fact.  He did so now, and then turned up the sound slightly. For a moment, dead silence, then several voices filled the little bunker.

“Dragon ordered the ships to be at the base in a standard month.”

“Recruitment going well here.  Imperial offices pissing people off with their rules.”

“Yes, recruitment.  But what about training?  We need proper training.  Most of these people are not soldiers.”

“Gold Moon can get weapons.  Both long and short range.  But we need funds.  Pirates don’t give things away for free.”

“Needing help with recruitment in my system.  People still thinking in terms of Separatists and Republic.  How can we discourage that philosophy?”

Kell sat, his whole body cold as ice, heavy as stone.  This did not seem to be a drug operation.  From their words, this sounded like military.

Then, a strong feminine voice came through, a woman who hadn’t spoken during the previous exchange.  “Dragon, Daddy O and I received the package and are very grateful.  Beautiful things.  Much love.”

“Bird!” cried Sky next to him, startling Kell as he hadn’t realized his son had awoke.

“That is the woman you spoke with?” he asked.

“Yes, the Bird.  Doesn’t she sound nice?” Sky said.

Kell nodded but didn’t speak.  He needed to report this to the Empire.  This type of radio communication is exactly what he’d been sent out here, to the far reaches of the galaxy, to listen for and report.  But he felt slightly sick doing so, as he’d become more and more disheartened by the actions of the Empire, having heard their chatter about enslavement and persecution.

But he also knew he wasn’t the only one listening, just the lone person in this sector of the galaxy, and not reporting the chatter would put himself and Sky in danger.  He came to the decision quickly, looking at his son drawing an elaborate bird on a piece of dried bark next to him.  He picked up the comm and dialed the offices on Coruscant.    

 

 


	13. Rebel Base

**Chapter Thirteen**

**Rebel Base**

            Obi-Wan stood in front of Mayli, holding both her hands and looking down at her, wanting more than anything to grab her and hold her forever, not let her get on the ship and head out to drop off the final device.  He’d awoken that morning with a sense of foreboding, of a simmering danger.  Still, he’d been taught that time is always in motion, to predict the future would be a fruitless venture.  And Force visions, even clairvoyance, had never been his specialty.

He thought of the Sith Scholar Jac, who remained alive somewhere in the galaxy, who knew his true identity and even used his gift of future visions to track down Obi-Wan.  His visions all proved true, perhaps showing something to his claim at extrasensory perception.  He’d told Obi-Wan of the Jedi’s own future, as an older man fighting Darth Vader, disappearing right before a death blow, on something called Death Star.  Obi-Wan considered this story often, wondering at the truth, knowing that putting stock in such tales could lead him down a dark path.  Yet he now felt something dangerous coming, for him or Mayli or both, and he wondered at the wisdom behind such visions and feelings.

            But keeping Mayli from a job she felt so proud of, her work in bringing together the rebellion, would be wrong.  He supported his mate, even though today he wanted nothing more than to restrain her by any means possible.

            What did this apprehensive feeling mean?  While he worried about her in the past, as she went to Ryloth, to Naboo, to Dagobah, he hadn’t felt this deep hesitation running like poison in his veins.

            “Don’t go,” he whispered without even meaning to, pressing his forehead to hers. 

            “Sweetheart, don’t worry.  I’m going to a base where everyone is a member of the rebellion.  No need to hide or be tricky or anything,” she said, smiling warmly at him.

            “I just feel…something…something bad might happen,” he said.

            “You told me over breakfast, baby.  And it could be anything, right?  Maybe Sniff coughing up another stomach full of snot or Solla dropping a bottle of gin.  You told me visions could be…”

            “This is not a vision.  It’s…well…not.  It’s a feeling,” he said, then sighed.  “You’re right.  But this is it.  No more off planet flights.”

            “Yes, sir,” said Mayli with an eye roll and exaggerated salute.  She then kissed him softly on the lips.  “After this, on-planet runs then home, waiting for the baby, allowing you to wait on me hand and foot.”  She smiled whimsically. “Ooohhh, the back and feet rubs…I cannot wait.”

            After a long good-bye, Mayli entered the ship and closed the ramp.  Backing away, Obi-Wan glared at Jac the Womp Rat on the side of the ship, the painting mid-snarl.  He damned the stupid young Sith for making him question his conviction in Force visions.  But like he said, this hadn’t been a vision, he’d experienced a feeling, most likely something minor, not related to Mayli or the devices or the rebellion.  As she broke the atmosphere, he walked back to the bar to begin his shift.

            The base sat at the edge of the Unknown Regions and did not look remarkable in any way.  Old, resembling an ancient fueling station, Mayli would probably see the place as abandoned if she just happened to be flying by on her way to somewhere else.  The non-descript nature of the station fit the location’s purpose perfectly.

            A few ships parked in a hanger, and she put the Womp Rat One down, grabbing the last device and heading eagerly down the ramp.  A few sentients of various species worked around her, and the station appeared to be an assembly location for larger weapons to be attached to ships.  A regal looking Mon Calamari greeted her.

            “Hello Bird,” he said in his deep, gravelly voice, his kind smile making Mayli feel immediately welcome.  “I am Captain Ackbar.  I have heard wonderful things about you from Senator Organa.”

            Mayli laughed at being called Bird in person.  She’d grown to love her code name, feeling Bird fit her disposition perfectly.

            “I’m Mayli,” she said, shaking Captain Ackbar’s hand.

            “Mayli.  You are a very brave woman.  And with child!” he said, finally looking her up and down.  “Hopefully you may rest after this.”

            “Yes.  Ben…my…ah…husband…insists,” she said, suddenly feeling quite tired indeed.  At that moment, her body seemed to register this to be her final drop and all the tension she’d accumulated and pushed to the side under her excitement emerged in her back and shoulders.  She needed an Obi back rub.

            “We needed to destroy our last device.  Malfunction, continued to pick up a local frequency playing Mandalorian opera continually,” Ackbar said.

            Mayli laughed.  Mandalorian opera could be quite grating.  Certainly not Max Rebo.

            “Join me for a meal before you leave,” Ackbar continued.  “We are a crew of only twenty at this point, working on weapons development, but our chef is marvelous.  A true talent.”

            Mayli ate with Ackbar on the small observation lounge, the galaxy spread out before them, the brightness of the Deep Core like a fire.  They talked of Ackbar’s role, to procure ships.  Mayli spoke of the companies she knew, including her father’s.  She wondered how the rebellion could build a fleet, and Ackbar laughed jovially. 

            “We’ll find a way, Mayli.  We have hope.”

            Mayli only stayed on the base for three hours, but as she pulled away, she felt a deep sense of satisfaction.  So many good people working in the rebellion, like Captain Ackbar, Senator Organa, even “Millie” the Gungan.  And she, Mayli, helped bring them together.  With a sense of joy and deep purpose, she made the quick hyperspace jumps to get out of that difficult part of space.

            After the final journey from the Unknown Regions, Mayli studied her instruments, and the engine cooling system gauge looked busted, not reading anything above a five.  She knew this to be false, but still couldn’t count on her wits alone.  She needed the instrument to work.  Glancing at the map of the system, a soft smile formed on her lips.  Only one quick jump away, Endor, the lovely forest moon on which she spent a romantic day with Obi-Wan, seemed the perfect spot to pause for a repair.  She entered the coordinates, looking forward to breathing in the fresh, clean forest air.

            After putting down on the old landing strip near the dilapidated comm shed, she moved quickly around the ship to repair the instrument, finally finding the problem after an hour of trouble shooting.  Needing to access an exterior panel, she brought down the ramp, emerging into the crisp, bright forest day. 

            Mayli took a deep breath and sighed.  “If only we could live here,” she said to herself, moving toward the panel needing the proper tweaking. 

            She worked efficiently, Mayli’s limber hands using the tools skillfully.  She always felt most herself when making repairs on her ship.  Sighing in satisfaction to see the problem solved, she walked around the ship again, glancing over at the ancient comm shed as she approached her ramp.  But something was different from the last time she visited, nearly three years before after destroying the Sith Scholars.  The comm shed appeared fixed up, newly painted, and another building, a small bunker, sat there as well.  What in the…then Mayli’s body froze.

            On the side of the building, painted in elaborate, elegant lettering, were the words “Ewok Brother.”

            She stared, transfixed, recalling the broken conversation she had with the child over the rebel frequency, the child using the call name Ewok Brother.  Did the child live here?

            Nobody seemed to be around, and she moved quickly over to the building, her eyes continuing to focus on the words.  Maybe the child somehow used the old comm system and cracked their code.  But where did the child come from and…

            All thought, along with her heart, stopped when she came around to the door leading into the bunker.  The symbol for the Galactic Empire glared back at her.  An Imperial outpost!  And they’d cracked the frequency!

            Mayli pushed softly against the door and found the building unlocked.  Slipping in stealthily, she moved down some stairs until she came to a room filled with all manner of sound equipment, maps of the galaxy up on several holoscreens.  From a speaker, soft voices could be heard, inaudible and unimportant, at least at the moment.  Her eyes swept desperately around for any indication of her frequency. 

            The device not matching the others caught her eye, the only one not featuring the Imperial crest. From the look of the wiring, the machine seemed homemade, something she would put together.  But as she approached the screen attached to the mechanism, she saw the map and knew instantly the machine tracked the sound waves of Dragon, Daddy O, Green Friend, and the others.  The lines ran from the worlds she visited, revealing to her a visual journal of her past few months.  And she knew the map would be more complex if linked to the rest of the galaxy, although this small outpost seemed to be focused on only the southern half.

            She sat in front of the equipment, found the volume switch, and turned up the voices.  Only two seemed to be conversing at the moment, but she clearly recognized both of them.

            “We have a couple leads on ship providers, Water Boy,” came Senator Organa’s voice.  “The Empire seems to go for speed at the sake of their shields on those little TIEs.”

            “Yes, yes.  We’ve acquired the specifications for those ships.  I don’t think we should replicate the design, although their engines, particularly the acceleration systems, seem quite state of the art,” said Water Boy, instantly recognizable as the Captain Ackbar she just left several hours before.

            The two men continued their conversation, but Mayli looked around the space.  Data pads of notes, children’s toys on the floor, the picture of a beautiful human woman next to the main holoscreen.  Someone worked here, perhaps with a family, monitoring the galaxy’s sound.  And he discovered the rebel frequency.

            Mayli knew what she needed to do, and with shaking hands, she pressed down the transmit button, hoping Dragon would get the message and act immediately.

            “Attention everyone.  This is the Bird.  This frequency has been compromised by the Empire.  They’ve been listening in.  I’m not sure for how long.  Discontinue this frequency.  I repeat, discontinue this frequency now.  The Empire knows.”

            She stopped, looking at the map of sound waves.  All audio went dead on the comm, now only static. First, the lines from the Unknown Regions vanished, followed by those leading into the Core, to Alderaan.  She knew Senator Organa could deactivate and destroy the devices from great distances, but she wondered how long that would take.  Would the one on Tatooine continue to blink?  As if to answer her question, the lights on the map around the Tatooine sector of space disappeared, and Mayli breathed a sigh of relief. 

            But other waves still shown, so she repeated her message once more, before finally rising from her seat.

            “You’re the Bird,” came a child’s voice from behind, and Mayli spun around to see a boy of no more than seven standing in the doorway to the room.  His clothes stained with grass and sap, a smudge of dirt on his nose.  He positively beamed at her.  “I knew you were pretty.”

            “Who are you?” she demanded but couldn’t sound too harsh.  The boy seemed elated to see her.  Did he live here alone?  Had something happened to his parents out in the woods, and he’d been neglected by the Empire?

            “I’m Ewok Brother!” he said excitedly, then turned toward door and rushed up the stairs.  “Daddy!  Daaaaddddd!!!!  The Bird.  She’s here!!!!”

            Dad?!  Mayli felt weak all over and terror filled her heart as she heard footsteps join the child’s on the stairs.

            Obi-Wan grinned at the glass tumbler, feeling triumphant.  He’d finally, through trial and error and wasting quite a bit of liquor Solla threatened to take out of his pay, created The Mayli, a drink that looked beautiful and tasted sweet and beguiling.  The perfect swirl of colors, the gentle citrus taste.  The Mayli.  He turned and wrote it up on the specials board, hoping someone would order it soon.

            “So the Mayli is done,” laughed Yarna, taking a seat at the bar, looking weary.  “I’ll take one at the end of the night.”

The crowds were low, so it had been a long evening, Jabba in a mood for humor at the expense of others, particularly Yarna.  Obi-Wan hated seeing her get treated that way, and at one point, when Jabba’s leering comments crossed over into obscene, he started from behind the bar to the main floor, only stopping when Yarna met him with a deep warning glare.

“The last thing you and Mayli need is to get on Jabba’s bad side,” she hissed at Obi-Wan as she passed by the Jedi.  “You need money for that baby.  I can handle Jabba.  Have for years.”

Studying Yarna now, Obi-Wan smiled and turned to the bottles of booze, grabbing several from the shelf. 

“What are you up to now, Ben?” Yarna asked.

“I’m going to work on a drink for you next.  The Yarna,” he said, glancing back at her to see a warm smile spread across her lips.  “Something that looks beautiful with a deep strength behind it.”

“Yes, better be strong indeed.  High alcohol content for an evening like this,” she sighed, then grinned broadly.  “Thank you, Benny.  You always seem to make the evenings here more bearable for all of us.  I sometimes wonder where you came from.” She laughed.  “I remember when I first saw you, in that nice suite in the back, Mayli’s companion.  I recall suggesting one of our male escorts join you both for an evening of pleasure.”

“I can take care of Mayli myself,” Obi-Wan said lightly, but his face burned red.  He remembered that evening well.

“Well, you certainly did take care of her,” Yarna teased.  “That girl is huge!  And just…what…two more months?”

“A bit more.”

“You excited?”

Obi-Wan smiled broadly.  “More than I’ve ever been about anything…ever.”  And it was true.  He couldn’t wait.  He had so many plans for their child, for Mayli, for their life together on Tatooine.  Sometimes the events of the Clone Wars, of Mustafar, even before, during his time as a padawan and then a Jedi Knight, seemed like a dream, someone else’s life.  Mayli, their baby, this bar, the rebellion, Yarna, Solla, and the others…they were his present, his now.  And he found comfort in this, strange as it may seem for someone who grew up Jedi.

“Solla!  I thought you went home,” said Yarna, breaking Obi-Wan from his thoughts.  He turned to see the elderly woman approaching the bar with a wrapped parcel. 

“Yes, Solla, I told you to go home.  Rest.  Slow night,” Obi-Wan demanded.  He’d been worried about Solla’s health more recently.  She seemed to move a bit slower the past couple of weeks, and as she’d been a rather motherly figure for Obi-Wan the past few months, he’d become more attune to her.

“I will go home, damnit.  Leave me be,” she said harshly, her wrinkled face scrunching in dismay.  “But I wanted to give you this.  You mentioned you and Mayli going to Mos Espa for new linens for the baby when she returns from her run.  Thought it might be time to hand over my gift.” She gave the package to Obi-Wan.

“Gift?” he said, puzzled.

“Yes, for the baby, silly,” Solla said.  “That is a custom where you come from too, right?”

Obi-Wan just nodded, not knowing much about the customs surrounding babies.  He turned his attention to the parcel, peeling back the wrap.  Then a delightful smile lit his face. 

“The quilt!” he exclaimed, unfolding the blanket for those around to see. 

The quilt featuring the Tatooine landscape, the one he’d seen and liked so much when he visited Solla’s home to escape the Inquisitor, looked even more beautiful finished.  The deep, vibrant colors of the fabrics, the intricate cuts and needlework, impressed him greatly.  He wondered if Solla’s Force sensitivity manifested itself through art.  How wonderful indeed.

“When you said you liked that one best…well, I was just so happy, Benny,” the old woman said.  “I’ve been working on that since I found out your honey was expecting. I hope…”

But she never finished.  Obi-Wan set the blanket down and wrapped her in a tight hug, something he’d never done to her before, but found deep comfort in at the moment.  He felt a kinship with Solla; she cared about him and Mayli, and she did something, made something, for their baby.  Spent hours on a project to bring the couple happiness.  While Solla presented a harsh front, underneath dwelt a compassionate soul. 

Solla seemed shocked by the hug, but Obi-Wan soon felt her thin arms wrap around him too.  But the moment passed quickly, and she slapped him on the back with one of her palms and pulled away.  She appeared to have tears in her eyes as she quickly backed away from the bar.

“Well, good night,” she said, disappearing from the cantina before Obi-Wan could even vocalize his thanks.

Yarna turned to him.  “Maybe work on The Solla, a drink harsh to look at, a little bitter when it hits your lips, but warm and comforting as you experience the fullness of the drink.”

Obi-Wan nodded, picking up the quilt again, imagining Solla bent over at her little table in her hut, working away.  Such a special, beautiful gift for their baby.  Mayli would be very pleased.  He couldn’t wait to see the wave of emotions the reveal of this gift would bring.

After his shift, he went to one of the rooms at the inn, since he’d be working the bar the next evening as well.  He waited until the area became clear of sentients, then slipped out to check the device in the compost shed.  He hoped to hear from Yoda, as he shared a riddle he’d heard from Gradie with the little Jedi Master and wanted to hear the response.  Obi-Wan enjoyed these simple, yet broken, conversations with Yoda, keeping him connected with his past life.  The duo never spoke of the terrible events that transpired, couldn’t really in code, but held conversations of philosophy and humor, reminding Obi-Wan of when he’s studied with Yoda before joining Qui-Gon on his adventures.

Opening the door to the hidden room and turning on the dim light, his danger sense immediately returned, the same he’d felt when Mayli left a few days ago.  Kneeling on the ground before the device, he gasped, feeling a rock form in his stomach.  The comm lay in ruins, having self-destructed, nothing working, completely dismantled and destroyed. 

Why?  Had something happened to Bail, who could control the destruction of the devices from afar?  Was the rebellion in jeopardy?

And Mayli?  She’d been headed to a rebel base!  What had happened?

Feeling cold and helpless, Obi-Wan fixated on the device, trying to glean information from the broken parts.  Nothing came to him, and the isolation of his exile pressed into his chest, stifling his breathing.

Back on Endor, Kell tramped through the mud, shaking his head and chuckling to himself at the afternoon he and Sky had amongst the Ewoks.  Members of the tribe they’d been observing actually approached, young ones, and Kell watched with joy as his son showed them his drawings and play fought with sticks. 

Both Jetts now quite grimy, he looked forward to a shower.  Sky ran on ahead back to their base, and Kell hurried along, feeling the long walks in the woods made him far healthier than he’d ever been on Coruscant.

Approaching the landing strip next to their bunker, he paused, seeing a freighter sitting, ramp down, a tool box opened at the bottom.  Sky was nowhere to be seen.  The fatherly panic of losing one’s child set in, and he hurried to the bottom of the ramp, his right hand pressed to the blaster he always wore at his side when they ventured into the woods.

“Sky!” he cried, running up the ramp, but not sensing anyone on board.  He heard a door slam from the area of the bunker, and he dashed down the ramp and ran full tilt toward the outpost. 

Just as he approached the building, he heard Sky’s excited voice yelling at the top of his lungs. 

“Daddy!  Daaaaddddd!!!!  The Bird.  She’s here!!!!”

The door to the bunker flew open, and Kell grabbed his enthusiastic boy.

“Dad!  She’s here, in the comm room.  The Bird.”

“Hush,” breathed Kell, pushing his son behind him and descending the stairs, his blaster now drawn.

Coming to the bottom of the staircase, he paused in the doorway to see a woman about his age standing in front of the comm equipment.  She seemed to be desperately searching for something, and when she noticed his arrival, turned, holding a hammer threateningly in his direction.  Her long, silver blonde hair hung in her face, violet eyes glaring at him in defiance.  She wore loose cargo pants, rugged boots, and a long tunic which clung over her large, pregnant belly.  In fact, she appeared very pregnant, definitely in her third trimester. 

“Who are you?” he demanded, staying still in the doorway, still holding the blaster to his side, Sky clinging to his back.

“Please…just let me leave.  I’m sorry to have come down here.  This place used to be abandoned,” she said, her voice strong and clear, Kell realizing he hadn’t heard a feminine voice in person, outside of the comm frequencies, in months. 

“It’s the Bird!  I heard her talking to some people on that frequency,” Sky said quickly, his happiness evident.  “And she’s pretty, like I said.  And look, she’d going to have a baby.  And…and she talked to some of the people on the radio, telling them to shut down the system.  I heard.  It’s really her, the Bird!”

Kell glanced over to the monitor to see the map showing the waves from the mystery frequency.  He saw the lines less complex, and as he looked, two more lights blinked out.  He glanced at Sky, knowing his son would not make up stories.  This woman…this Bird…could she be a soldier against the Empire?  All evidence suggested this.  But what could he do?

Swallowing hard, his hands shaking, he raised his blaster and pointed it at the woman.

 

 


	14. The Bird

**Chapter Fourteen**

**The Bird**

            Mayli sat and watched the man, her wrists in a cuff attached to the leg of the heavy metal table on which sat the sound equipment, keeping her hunched over in a rather uncomfortable and increasingly painful position.  She damned herself internally for not bringing a weapon, as her blaster and various vibroblades remained in the Womp Rat One, sitting out there completely open on the landing strip.  Upon seeing the words Ewok Brother on the side of the bunker, she simply rushed in, the rebellion first and foremost on her mind rather than her own safety.

            The moment the man pulled the blaster on her, she surrendered.  She had no hope against him, especially carrying the baby.  And with the child present, Ewok Brother himself, she knew the man felt protective and weary of her.  She understood.  She would be the same way.

            But now her mind churned on how to get out of this predicament.  She’d been cuffed to the table for a half hour now, and the man had not called the Imperials.  Rather, he led his son from the room and returned alone with a cup of water for her before sitting down and studying the screen with the rebel frequency.  To her deep satisfaction, she saw the holoscreen nearly blank and felt that even if she failed to escape and ended up in the clutches of the Empire, at least she’d done all she could to protect the infant rebellion.

            Still, the man hadn’t spoken to her, nor she to him.  He simply sat with his head in his hand, watching the holoscreen, sighing heavily from time to time.

            “Daddy?” came the voice of the child. 

            “Sky, I told you to go to our rooms,” the man said firmly, but not without warmth.  Mayli saw a lot of love between father and son.  Her eyes turned to the holopic of the woman on the table.  The mother?

            “Can I please show the Bird her picture?” the boy, Sky, said.

            “My picture?” Mayli finally vocalized, surprised.

            Sky rushed into the room, his father giving in, and approached Mayli. 

            “I drew you as a Bird,” he said brightly, showing Mayli several drawings on dried bark.  “I knew you were beautiful.  And you can fly.  But you’re not as pretty as mom was.”

            Mayli nodded to the holo.  “Was that your mother?”

            The man pulled his son back to him.  “Listen…um…Bird.  We’re not here to chit chat.  You work for some sort of military group…against the Empire.  I’ll have you know I reported this to Coruscant days ago.” 

            Mayli felt a twinge of defeat but stifled the feeling.  She needed to focus on getting herself out of here.

            “Then it’s been reported.  Why do you need me?” she asked matter-of-factly, trying to stay controlled, keep her wits about her.  “If you just let me go, no one would be the wiser.”

            “I work for the Empire…I need to show allegiance,” he said, although he didn’t sound so certain.  He held his son tighter to him, and glanced back at the holo of the woman.

            “I’m harmless…look at me!  I’m about ready to burst,” she laughed, but it sounded empty, and she stopped abruptly.  “Please…you don’t need to turn me into the Empire.  Just let me go.  Nobody would know.”

            The man turned and met her gaze.  “I can’t.  I need to do my duty.”

            Mayli became mad suddenly.  “Listen…do you know what your precious Empire does to people in the galaxy?  You…you sit out here in safety, not a care in the world!  Well, I’ll tell you.  They kill!  They enslave!  They…”

            “I know!” he suddenly shouted, standing up, his child still holding his hand and staring up at his father.  “I hear all these things.  That’s my job, to listen.”

            “Well, do you know your son…Sky…will be recruited.  I’ve seen them, those stormtroopers.  They are nothing more than boys,” she hissed back.

            “You don’t think that doesn’t frighten me?” the man shouted.  “Grand Moff Tarkin himself showed an interest in my boy.  And have you been in that man’s presence, felt the evil wafting off him?  I know what the Empire is.  But I am a man with a son, alone, my wife dead.  I need to keep him safe.”

            Mayli stopped at his words.  Grand Moff Tarkin?  She’d seen him on the holonews, Obi-Wan briefly telling her about his few interactions with the man.  His pointed face and formal demeanor as portrayed across the holonet always seemed a bit chilling, but overpowered by Darth Vader, whom Tarkin could be seen with often. 

            This man, this father, feared the Empire.  And he had skills that could help the rebellion.  An idea formed. 

            “I can keep you safe.  Join us!  I know people.  Powerful people.  Wealthy people.  They can keep you and Sky safe,” she said, putting all her persuasive powers in her voice.  She wished more than anything Obi-Wan were here.  He was so much better at these negotiation tactics than her.  Of course, against this one man, he probably wouldn’t need to use them.  “These skills you have…I mean, look at this equipment.  This one you built yourself.  We could use someone like you.”

            “I cannot go on the run…not with Sky,” the man said.

            “So you’ll just wait for Grand Moff Tarkin to take him away,” Mayli retorted.  “Fool.”

            The man glared at her but said nothing.  He sat back down, this time at the Imperial equipment, and punched in a code.  Mayli’s heart leapt.  She’d failed.  He would turn her in for sure.  But the man stopped, pushed back the equipment, and slumped back in his chair.  Silence fell again, even the child quiet, sitting on the floor, fidgeting slowly with the pictures of the Bird. After several minutes, the man rose, picked up the boy, and left the room, heading up the stairs. Alone, Mayli felt tears spring to her eyes, finally allowing the emotions to come.

            Very early the next morning, as the sun just peaked through the Endor forest, Kell fixed breakfast, Sky sitting uncharacteristically quiet at the dining table.  The evening before he’d returned to the woman with more water and a small meal, which she refused.  She no longer spoke with him, but looked defeated, and he’d left her there for the evening.

            He needed to call the Empire.  Why hadn’t he?  Perhaps because she was pregnant, near her due date, and he worried…no, he knew…the Imperials would show no mercy.  He’d listened in to talk of torture, execution.  He shuddered as he poured a cup of juice.

            And she’d been right, about the recruitment.  He feared for Sky, for the future.  But to go on the run! That might be a bigger risk to Sky than staying here on Endor.  But he did not believe in the work of the Empire.  Kell stopped cooking and leaned against the counter heavily, his mind rocking with the weight of his dilemma.

            And the way she looked at him as she angrily spoke of injustice.  The voice of a strong woman ringing through the bunker reminded him so much of his wife and how she always spoke with such conviction of those she helped as a nurse during the Clone Wars, his heart burned with the pain of remembrance and longing.

            Sighing heavily, he put the food on a tray and motioned to Sky, who followed his father back to the comm room.

            The woman sat, leaning awkwardly against the table, and he could see her wrists bloody from her attempts to free herself.  She seemed asleep, but jerked awake when he entered, and he regretted leaving her in such an uncomfortable position, especially with child.

            But she glared at him with deep anger.  “Listen, turn me in or not, but you could at least let me use the ‘fresher.  I’ve been here half a day, and I would like the dignity of not wetting myself.”

            Kell nodded, and holding a blaster to her, uncuffed the woman and led her to the refresher, allowing her to close the door most of the way.  When they returned to the table, he only cuffed one wrist, allowing her to sit up properly.  He placed the food in front of her.

            “Please eat something,” he said, and turned when he heard a sniffle from Sky who sat huddled in one of the other chairs, picking at his food.  “Sky?”

            “I’m scared,” Sky said.  “What if they hurt the Bird?”

            Kell looked back at the woman, who put a small piece of bread into her mouth, then took a sip of water.  Would the Empire ever know if he let the Bird fly away?

            A ping went off, and he looked at the equipment, seeing a hail coming in on an Imperial frequency.  He opened the line.

            “Kell Jett?” came an official sounding voice.

            “Speaking,” Kell answered, glancing to both sides to see the woman and his son watching him intensely.

            “I am the captain of a small battalion traveling through your sector, and we’ve been ordered to stop by on our way Coreward to check about a possible rebel frequency you’ve discovered.  We shall be in-system soon.  I am calling ahead to let you know Lord Vader commands this group, and his private yacht is in our company.  He will be doing an inspection with us, of the frequency as well as of Endor as a possible site of development, at the request of Grand Moff Tarkin, who’s already visited, as you know.”

            “Lord…Lord Vader?” Kell stammered.

            “Yes…well, I probably shouldn’t have mentioned he was with us…but I find it appropriate to warn people…as a courtesy.  Um…ah…he can be rather…imposing,” the captain said.

            “Thank you,” Kell said.  “I will prepare for his arrival.”

            The comm went silent, and Kell jumped as the woman suddenly grabbed his arm with her free hand.  He looked at her to see her face wild with fear, far from the stoic expression she held most of their time together.

            “He’ll know!” she screeched at him.  “He’ll know about the baby!  He’ll know immediately.  He’ll sense it!”

            “What are you…”

            “You have to let me go!  Now!  I cannot be around Darth Vader.  He’ll know the baby belongs to Ben.  And he’ll track us down.  Everything will be lost!  Please, please!  I’m begging you.  I have to leave now.”

            Sense the baby?  Ben?  What did she mean about Darth Vader knowing about the baby?  He looked into her desperate eyes, her nails digging into his flesh as she clutched his arm.

            “Please,” she whispered, as tears began to fall down her face.

            Obi-Wan slept little that evening in his room at Jabba’s.  He paced around, finally leaving for fresh air and walking around the village.  When he returned, he meditated, reaching out in the Force for Mayli, trying to get some inkling of what was happening.  Nothing.  But his danger sense continued to flame, driving him near madness with desperation.

            Still, with Mayli not even due back for another day, he tried to convince himself he needn’t worry about anything…yet.  He finally lay down as the first sun rose, and fell into a fitful sleep.

            He dreamt, but his dreams came in a disjointed blur, memories of things that happened in the near and distant pasts and flashes of events his imagination seemed to conjure.  He watched Qui-Gon die again, but gained consciousness quickly, not wanting to relive that moment, and he fell back into dreams to find himself kissing Mayli for the first time, right before the krayt dragon emerged and ruined the moment.  But as the dragon came toward him, it transformed into General Grievous, bearing down onto him.  The whirl of the lightsabers wielded by the mulit-armed cyborg spun in an almost hypnotic spiral, and suddenly, Obi-Wan found himself sitting at the table in his and Mayli’s home staring at a Sith holocron.  Conscious enough to recall this as a negative memory, Obi-Wan willed himself to think of anything else, but his brain kept with this story.

            But then Obi-Wan realized this wasn’t a memory.  When he’d opened the Sith holocron before, he’d been in Mayli’s old hut, when they’d first met, and in this dream, he sat at their dining table in their current home.  And the holocron looked distinctly different.  Obi-Wan fixated on his own hands, which both rested on the table, and felt surprise.  His fingers appeared a little bonier, his hands more wrinkled. 

            “Well old man, you ready?” came a deep voice, and Obi-Wan rose his gaze to see the Sith Scholar Jac, older, silver running through his dark, thinning hair, sitting across from him.  The man smiled broadly, not of his taunting of their encounters before, but with an air of kindness.  But Obi-Wan also read a dark determination in his spirit.

            “Yes,” he heard himself say, and watched as he and Jac both reached for the holocron at the same time.

            The image shifted suddenly to a tabcaf.  He sat across from a beautiful young woman whom he’d never seen before but felt he knew.  She read a data pad intently, absent-mindedly taking a drink of her caf before going back to twirl her long strawberry blonde hair around her fingers.  She suddenly looked up, her eyes, a deep shade of blue, locking with his.  She gasped.

            And just like that, Obi-Wan found himself awake, staring at the ceiling of the room, hearing the bustle of the day begin outside.  He rose slowly, trying to process everything he saw.  The memories…Jac…the holocron…the woman.  What did it all mean?

            The dreams began to fade as the events of the previous evening, discovering the deactivated comm, came back to him.  Glancing at the time, he sighed.  He should go to work, not lay panicking.  He’d begin to truly worry if Mayli did not return within a standard day.  No, that was false.  He already worried.  Occupy your mind, Kenobi!

            The evening proved to be slow, Jabba deciding to retire early to his private rooms rather than lounging in the cantina.  The holoscreens around the bar showed an overview of the past week in galactic sports.  Obi-Wan found himself watching an interview with a young athlete signed to a new team, two regulars at the bar murmuring how the team’s manager spent too many credits on the man. 

            The news broke into the program suddenly, causing a groan from the patrons watching the sports broadcast, but gaining the attention of most of the room.

            “Breaking news,” the male human news anchor said.  “An explosion in industrial Coruscant has destroyed a weapons factory.  No reported deaths, as the manufacturer only uses droids, but the entire facility, which produces many of the blasters used by the stormtrooper legions, is a complete lose.”

            Footage showed the ruins, fires still burning, emergency workers attempting to get things in order.

            Then the face of the anchor suddenly appeared again.  “Another breaking story, just into the newsroom.  Imperial forces are under attack both on-planet and in-orbit on Ryloth.  The Free Ryloth Movement has commandeered the news sources on that world and are feeding the populace incorrect, anti-Imperial sentiments while rag-tag groups of rebels attack soldiers on the streets as well as in orbit.  We are currently working on getting footage.  While we wait, let’s look back to Coruscant to see how…wait!  Another story.  Several unidentified ships have appeared in the Kashyyyk system, firing on an Imperial battle cruiser.  This all seems to be happening at once, as if planned.”

            Obi-Wan watched, his mouth hanging open. The rebellion was beginning.  How could it be otherwise?  They’d orchestrated three simultaneous attacks.  Whatever happened with the devices, the rebellion still existed and now made a show of force.  Scenes of the attack in Kashyyyk finally came in, transmissions from Ryloth still blocked.  Obi-Wan shook his head in wonder.  People were working against the Empire.

            “Look at what your darling Mayli helped accomplish,” said a familiar voice next to him.  Obi-Wan turned to see Qui-Gon sitting at the bar, watching the holoscreen.  “You must be very proud of your woman, you companion, my son.”

            Obi-Wan opened his mouth to speak, but looked back up at the holoscreen when the assembly in the cantina let out cries and groans.  The news no longer appeared…the sports broadcast continued as if nothing ever happened.  Obi-Wan frowned deeply, knowing the Empire cut the news feed, not wanting the planets under their rule to see the mass show of resistance.

            But Qui-Gon was right, he did feel a deep sense of pride for Mayli, his brave lover.  He looked back down at Qui-Gon, only to find the chair empty, the spirit gone. 

            Back on Endor, Mayli strained to hear what the muffled voices said beyond the door.   After her desperate plea to let her go due to the arrival of Vader, the man, Kell Jett, pulled his son outside the room.  They’d been gone five minutes, and Mayli wondered what the man said to his boy.  Would they let her go?

            Fear ran through her veins.  She needed to leave, absolutely could not be in Darth Vader’s presence.  She remembered when she’d met Yoda, and he knew the baby belonged to Obi-Wan within moments.  Wouldn’t Anakin, who’d practically been raised by Obi-Wan, sense the presence of the child that quickly as well?

            Her whole body began to shake.  What would he do with her?  He’d most likely interrogate her, torture her.  From his history, she knew he would not care if she were pregnant or not.  But she would die before she would reveal anything, about Obi-Wan, about the rebellion.

            Then a more terrifying thought came to her as she sat alone.  Images of the labs of the Sith Scholars came to her head, and she wondered what Vader and the Emperor would want to do with her, carrying the child of a Jedi.  To the baby!  Hadn’t she herself suggested Anakin to be a lab experiment?  That train of thought brought fresh tears to her eyes.

            And they wouldn’t need to interrogate her.  The Womp Rat One sat open out on the landing strip, and the Imperials could access her previous hyperspace coordinates to and from the rebel base.  They’d see the holopic of her and Obi-Wan by her bed.

            She needed to leave now!

            The door opened, and Kell and Sky appeared.  The man walked over and uncuffed her quickly.  Standing shocked, she rubbed her painful wrists.

            “Go now!” he said, and pulled her toward the door, Mayli feeling stiff all over but adrenaline kicking in as she hit the middle of the stairwell.

            Hurrying across the pavement, she reached the ship, picking up the toolbox that remained at the bottom of the ramp and placing it just inside before coming back down.

            She stood in front of Kell and Sky.  The man looked fearful and nervous, but the child smiled broadly, handing her one of the drawings he’d made of the Bird.

            “Thank you,” Mayli said, then looked at the father.  “Come with…”

            But the distant sound of machinery jolted them both, and Kell looked to the sky, his face paling.

            “They must have been right outside the system when they called,” he said, then swallowed hard. 

Mayli turned to the sky to see a company of three Imperial TIEs flanking a transport, followed by an elegant yacht she’d seen before, on Alderaan. 

It was too late.  Leaving now would attract attention, perhaps even fire from the TIEs.  The company, along with Darth Vader’s yacht, began their descent.    

 

 


	15. The Final Flight of the Womp Rat One

**Chapter Fifteen**

**The Final Flight of the Womp Rat One**

            Mayli felt awash with terror watching Darth Vader’s ship, still rather high in the sky, approach the ancient Endor landing strip.  This is it, she thought.  But she wasn’t going down easy.  No, she would fight all the…”

            “I have an idea,” Kell said suddenly, and he grabbed her and his son by the hands, turning and running back to the bunker, Mayli struggling a bit, carrying the extra baby weight.

            Arriving at the door, Kell knelt before his son.  “Sky, stay inside.  Do not come out for anything.  In fact, do not wait at the door, but go to our rooms.  Read, draw…but stay until I come for you, okay?  This is very, very important.  Do you understand me, young man?”

            Sky nodded, fear in his eyes, and Mayli felt a knot in her throat when she watched the father and son embrace.  Then, Sky disappeared into the bunker, the door closing behind him with a loud clang.  Kell then turned to Mayli.

            “Okay, so the baby is mine,” he said.  “You stopped by here several months ago on a brief layover.  We had a fling.  You left.  You just came back to tell me.  Got it?”

            Mayli thought for a moment.  Yes, this might work.  Surely even if Vader sensed something, this cover story might confuse things.  And the suit…yes, Obi-Wan said it might restrict some of his Force senses.  Maybe this could delay…for a moment.  But she still felt her body tense.

            “Okay,” she said finally as they hurriedly walked back to the strip, ready to greet the assembly that came closer.  At least they had some sort of plan, something instead of her cowering in terror.  “That…that might work.”  She paused, eyeing him.  “Hey, this whole story sounds kind of familiar.  Wasn’t there a holoshow with this detective who had to pretend to be this woman’s baby’s father in order to protect her and the child?”

            Kell actually chuckled.  “It was the plot of a story arch on the holoshow I worked on, _Dark Pursues Day_.”

            Mayli momentarily forgot her plight.  “The one with Julif Mac?  Oh my goodness, is he as good looking in real life as on the holoscreen?”

            Kell actually laughed, not an unpleasant sound, but something he seemed he didn’t do too often.  “Well, my wife used to think so.  I edited sound and had to watch the episodes multiple times during the process.  Sometimes she would watch over my shoulder when I worked at home, sighing exaggeratedly.”  He laughed again, louder this time.  “I haven’t thought of that in a long time.”

            The roar of the ships brought them back to reality, and they turned from each other to see the little fleet park around the Womp Rat One.  Soon, troops emerged from the transport, mostly officers rather than stormtroopers, and finally, the ramp of the Imperial yacht came down, Darth Vader himself marching out with heavy purpose, his black cape billowing behind him.

            Mayli automatically reached out to clutch Kell’s hand tightly, trying to remain in control of her emotions, her senses.  Living with a Jedi for three years, not to mention being pursued by a cult of Sith previously, prepared her for those with a sensitivity to the Force, and she knew her emotions could betray her.

            But as Darth Vader approached her, a strange thing happened.  Mayli’s initial terror slipped into horror momentarily before finally falling into disgust and pity.  She knew the man behind the suit, knew Anakin Skywalker from the numerous tales Obi-Wan told her, and seeing him now as Darth Vader, level with her, walking toward her rather than from a distance or on the holoscreen, suddenly made her realize the rather sad being he had become.

            The sound of his breathing astonished her the most.  Even from meters away, she could hear each breath, a mechanical sound.  His body, his involuntary systems, dependent upon a machine.  A cyborg, not fully human.  She shuddered a little with each breath he took.   

            He paused in his approach, as he walked by the Womp Rat One, and stopped to regard the cartoon rat painted on the side.  In fact, he stood there so long, Mayli began to feel all was lost before they even put their little deception into motion. 

            She looked again at Kell and realized she was putting all her trust into this man she only met half a day before, a man who’d cuffed her to a table for hours.  But what choice did she have?  And she may not be Force sensitive, but she could see a deep kindness in him.  She had to trust him.  This trust was her only hope.

            As Vader regarded her ship, the officer with the ranking of captain, presumably the man who’d called ahead, approached.

            “Kell Jett?”

            Kell saluted, his other hand still grasping Mayli’s, their fingers intertwined.  She was very grateful for this grip, as it grounded her.  She feared either running off in a panic into the forest or tackling Vader, ripping off his mask, and punching him as hard as she could in an effort to exact revenge on behalf of Obi-Wan.

            “And who are you?” the man turned to Mayli.

            “Dia,” she said with confidence, surprised she’d spoke with such conviction.  She kept her eyes on Vader who approached the ramp of the ship.  The image in her mind of the holopic of her and Obi-Wan in her cabin made her stomach lurch.  Don’t go up there, she thought.

            As if obeying her unspoken wishes, Vader turned from the ramp and approached the group.

            “So Dia…why are you here?” the captain pressed.

            Vader now stood beside the captain, just feet in front of Mayli and Kell.  He put up a hand, indicating silence.  The captain and the rest of the company, about five other officers, took a step back, all looking nervous.

            “I sense a presence I haven’t felt in a long time,” Vader spoke, his voice chilling, deep, exact.  She felt Kell squeeze her hand tighter.

            He stepped toward Mayli, now only a meter in front of her.  “Who are you?”

            “I said already, Dia,” she responded, surprising herself with the matter-of-fact attitude, the lack of fear in her voice.  “I came to tell Kell he’s the baby’s daddy.”

            “What?” exclaimed the captain behind Vader, another of the men letting out a snicker.

            “Yeah, I fly freight.  Came by here about seven months ago.  Kell and I, well…” she giggled and looked over to Kell who blushed rather adorably, looking down at the ground.

            Vader turned ever so slightly to Kell.  “Is this true?”

            Please, please, please, Mayli thought desperately, while still smiling wryly.

            Silence.

            “Answer Lord Vader, Jett!” shouted the captain.

            Please, Mayli begged in her mind, her confidence beginning to falter.

            “Yeah,” Kell said weakly.  “Listen, I have a son, and he doesn’t yet know, so I would appreciate if…”

            “This is unacceptable behavior,” the captain said angrily.  “You are a professional, a member of the Empire!  And with your son in the next room.  I’ll have you know…”

            “Quiet, captain,” Vader said, and instant silence fell.

            Vader took a step toward Mayli, now standing directly in front of her, and she looked up into his face.  Impossible to read his emotions through the mask, she tried to hide her disgust behind her snide smile. 

            I know you, Anakin Skywalker, she thought.  You’re a coward, a murderer of unarmed Sand People, a killer of younglings.  You are a weak fool who fell to the temptations of the Dark Side. And you are crippled to the point of complete dependence on machines, an abomination to the will of the Living Force.

            And you betrayed the love and friendship of your best friend. 

            She imagined him underneath the suit, broken, burnt, and sick.  No, she knew this Darth Vader, this Anakin Skywalker.  He was not worth fearing.

            But then Vader raised his hand, right in front of her belly, and she felt the baby move slightly. She remembered Yoda knowing immediately when he touched her.  No…

            “Lord Vader!  Captain!  Reports from Coruscant!  Three simultaneous rebel attacks, three different systems, the capital, Kashyyyk, and Ryloth.  The Emperor has ordered us to Ryloth immediately,” shouted an officer, emerging from the transport.

            Vader lowered his hand and swung around, his cape gliding against Mayli’s legs.  He and the others moved quickly back to their ships.  Mayli realized she now gripped Kell’s hand almost painfully, but he held her tightly back.

            Vader once again paused at the Womp Rat One.

            “Have you ever been to Alderaan?” he asked.

            Of course!  He’d seen her ship that day, on the landing strip, when she’d visited Senator Organa.  Damn her vanity in wanting an eye-catching design on her freighter. 

            “Yeah.  Deliver for them all the time,” she said causally, realizing right after finishing the sentence the irony of the statement.

            Vader studied her again for a moment, then swept away.  Within a minute, the ships rose in the air, speeding toward the outer atmosphere.

            Mayli stood alongside Kell, not speaking, watching them go, relief washing over her, making her feel almost weak.  In fact, her knees gave out gradually, and she would have slipped to the ground if Kell hadn’t grabbed her.

            “You okay?” he asked.  “The baby.  You must be under a lot of stress.”

            She again felt the baby move softly and knew he or she was okay.  In fact, she wondered for a moment if the baby helped her stay strong in that moment, but she quickly dismissed the thought as silly. 

            Leaning against Kell, she wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug and wept, all the emotions pouring out of her.  She knew he most likely felt puzzled by her actions but she didn’t care.  She leaned against his shoulder, this almost stranger, and sobbed.

            “You have no idea what you’ve done,” she finally said when she could speak coherently.  “The lives you have saved.  The galaxy maybe.  You are a very brave man.”

            “Take me and Sky away, like you said you would,” he said softly, and Mayli pulled away from him to see resolve and determination on his face.

            “Can you be ready in the hour?” she asked.

            “Yes,” he said, backing away from her, heading toward the bunker.

            “Gather your things.  I can take you to a safe place.  Safe for you and Sky, but also a place where your talents can be used,” she said, a plan forming.  “You’ve already paid for you and Sky’s passage tenfold.” She laughed.  “Just tell me about the handsome Julif Mac on the way.”

            Kell grinned broadly, the first genuine smile she’d seen.  “Thank you.”

            He dashed away, and Mayli went up the ramp, heading right to her cabin and pulling the holopic of Obi-Wan close to her as she sat on her bed, still feeling a giddy weakness.  Pressing the pic to her, she sighed.

            “All right, Ben.  You win.  I’m home now,” she said.  She wondered at his state.  Surely he did not know about her encounter with Vader, but by now, he’d seen the destroyed device as well as seen the news…

            Three rebel attacks?  Simultaneous?  And without that sudden news, Vader may have touched her, may have known, as Yoda had, her baby belonged to Obi-Wan Kenobi.  But the rebellion saved her, along with this Imperial technician Kell.  She pondered again the amount of trust and faith she put in him, the amount of hope she put in the rebellion, and knew both saved her. 

            She also felt a surge of happiness.  The rebellion!  She’d helped with that.  Made the communication possible!  She wanted more than anything to be beside Obi-Wan at the moment, celebrating this beginning.  But first she needed to take care of this brave man and his child.

            Kell and Sky moved quickly around their living quarters, putting their small number of possessions into crates.

            “Where are we going?” Sky asked as he gathered his remaining clothing from the small chest of drawers.

            “The Bird will take us to a safe place,” Kell said.  “We can trust her.”

            And he knew he could, in his heart.  He had to trust her.  He had to get Sky away from this evil that was the Empire before it made a monster of his son.  Shuddering deeply at the thought of their encounter with Vader, he felt an absolute resolve.  His son would not wear an Imperial uniform, not cower in the presence of that robot.

            “No more Ewoks?” Sky asked sadly.

            “Afraid not, son,” Kell said, thinking about the scouting Grand Moff Tarkin did on Endor, a new site for construction he’d said, just in case.  “But we’ll meet new people, not be alone again.  It’ll be good for us.”

            Sky nodded, and the Jetts emerged with their final set of boxes, Kell locking the doors to the bunker and the shed as they headed one last time to the ship.

            Soon, he sat beside the Bird…or Dia…or whoever…in the cockpit, watching the Forest Moon and Endor shrink.

            “I’m taking you to a base in the Unknown Regions, a rebel outpost,” the woman explained.  “They are working on building a fleet.  Gathering guns and ships.  A Mon Calamari named Captain Ackbar will welcome you and your expertise, and you can make plans from there.”

            “Listen Dia…I cannot thank you…”

            She interrupted, laughing.  “Mayli.  My name is Mayli.”

            “Mayli…thank you,” Kell said, feeling his throat clinch a bit, suddenly emotional.  He felt glad when Sky, seated behind them next to a deactivated R2 unit, began to chat.

            “One of the books I read talked about some blue humans who live in the Unknowns Regions.”

            Mayli laughed.  “The Chiss.  But they are on the other side of this huge expanse of space.  But it is a beautiful area of space.  I’d love to see it again myself.”

            Kell looked at her with surprise.  “You’ve traveled a lot.  For this rebellion?”

            She shrugged.  “And running freight.  I’m a rebel in my spare time.”  She sighed as she punched them into hyperspace, then leaned back, placing a hand on her pregnant belly.  “But I think, after this, I’m done for a while.”

            “Does Darth Vader…um…does he know the baby’s father?” Kell asked hesitantly.

            “Yes,” she said after a long pause, keeping her eyes on the blue spirals between time and space.  “And…well…yes.”

            Kell just nodded, knowing not to press further.

            “So, tell me about Julif Mac.  I heard he’s quite the player,” Mayli said lightly.

            “Ah, yes.  Different girlfriend every week.  But a good man, overall.  Kind, generous, very…” Kell began.

            “Come on now, I don’t want to hear about that!  I want the gossip,” Mayli exclaimed.

            The conversation all the way to the base was light, about celebrities and Sky’s education and Ewoks and traveling the galaxy.  But as they approached the base, Kell felt heavy with his decision again.  Did he do the right thing for him and Sky?

            After landing in the hanger, Mayli turned to Kell.

            “You took care of me,” she said, placing her hand over his, reaching her other back to take Sky’s.  “We’ll take care of you.”

            Mayli went down first, greeting the well-dressed Ackbar.  They spoke for several minutes at a distance, Kell standing beside his son, realizing they were drawing the eyes of several people, mostly techs.  Finally, Ackbar approached.

            “I cannot thank you enough for helping our Bird,” he said, extending his hand to both Kell and his child.  “We are deeply indebted to you, and we offer you sanctuary.”

            “I want to work,” Kell said hurriedly.

            “Me too!” Sky chimed in.

            Ackbar chuckled deeply.  “Come with me.”

            Looking back, he realized techs already removed his personal items from Mayli’s ship.  Kell and Sky began to follow Ackbar, but he stopped, realizing Mayli walked toward the ramp of the Womp Rat One.

            “Will we ever see you again?” he called to her.

            Mayli stopped and walked back to the duo, Sky running to her, wrapping her in a hug around her waist.  Kell watched as she hugged his son back before straightening and looking at him.

            “I hope so.  I’ll look for you,” she said, then turned and entered her ship.  “May the Force be with you,” she called, then disappeared.

            Kell took a deep breath and turned back to Ackbar.

            “Okay, I’m ready,” he said, Sky nodding eagerly.  They followed the captain into the rebel base.

            Obi-Wan paced back and forth outside at the back of the cantina, wringing his hands and trying to keep himself calm.  Mayli should have returned two days ago, and with the whole galaxy talking about the rebel attacks, he feared she may have been caught up in the action.

            Solla sent him outside after he broke his fourth bottle of the night, and he lingered near madness for thirty minutes now.  Hearing the sound of a ship land on the nearby palace strip, he resisted the urge to run over, as he’d been doing with the past seven ships in the last five hours.  Most likely not…

            “Mayli!” yelled Gradie through the door leading into the cantina, and Obi-Wan ran at a full dash toward the landing strip, arriving just as the ramp of the ship came down and Mayli emerged.

            She looked exhausted, but grinned broadly upon seeing him. 

            “Are you okay?  The baby?  And did you get caught up in one of the attacks?  They cut the news.”  He looked at her wrists as she grabbed his waist, both bruised badly.  He felt panic rise in him.  “You’re hurt!” he cried, his voice reaching a high pitch, a mix of fear, anger, sadness, and confusion enveloping him.  Calm down, Kenobi, he thought, and he had to immediately employ some meditation techniques.

            “Just hold me,” Mayli whispered, so he did just that, and soon, he felt her crying softly against him.

            “Mayli…?”

            She stayed silent for a long time, then “I have a lot to tell you…”

            “The device!”

            “I know.  I called for them to be destroyed,” she pulled him up the ramp and into the cockpit, taking a seat and motioning for him to do the same.  He looked down at the control panel, seeing a drawing on tree bark of a beautiful bird attached to the dash.  “From a friend,” she said.  “You ready for a story.”

            He nodded and listened to Mayli’s adventure, from the rebel base to Endor back to the base.  She silenced him a couple of times when he began to interject, and during her retelling of the events with Darth Vader, he felt a chill pass through him that lingered for several minutes. 

            She would never, ever, ever leave his side ever again.

            When she finished, he considered the situation before answering.  So she’d met Anakin, and an interesting thought occurred to him.  Had they been normal citizens of the galaxy, she might have met the funny and handsome Anakin of years ago, perhaps for dinner, Anakin with Padme on his arm, Obi-Wan with Mayli.  The couple may have watched the Skywalker children when Anakin took his wife out for a night on the town, and vice versa.  Such strange thoughts that would never be, of normalcy.  But without Anakin turning to the Dark Side, Obi-Wan would have never found Mayli, never even considered a life outside the Jedi Code.  His brain became a boggle of what-ifs.

            “So, what did you think of Anakin?” he finally said.

            “I wasn’t afraid of him…because I know,” she said.  “I know what a sad sack of bantha dung exists behind that mask.”

            The venom in her words made him momentarily sad.  Yes, if only she met the before Anakin.  But he himself planted and harvested that dislike within her, and he smiled sadly.

            “And I didn’t think about this at the time, but he’s so…inhuman, in every respect.  Even the smell of him.  Metal, not flesh, not even unpleasant body odor.  Just…metal,” she said, then bit her lip, looking at the bird drawing.  “But Kell saved me…he didn’t even know me, but he saved me, Obi.  There is a lot of goodness in this galaxy…and…and it’s worth fighting for.”

            “You are never leaving my side again,” he said firmly.

            She laughed, a genuine laugh, and moved over to sit on his lap.  “Not anytime soon, Ben Kenobi.  Not anytime soon.”  She sighed heavily.  “Is Drag about tonight?”

            “I think so.  Why?”

            “Well, I need to change the name of the ship again.  Vader knows the Womp Rat One,” she giggled slightly.  “Guess she made her final flight today.  Maybe go back to the Nebula Flame.”

            Obi-Wan pulled her to him, nuzzling his face into her chest, his hands pressed against her back, holding her tight.

            “I never liked that vicious rat anyway,” he said as she giggled again.  Relief overtook him, and he turned slightly to look again at the bird picture.  Yes, a lot of good in the galaxy, the best of which sat with him here, in this moment.

****


	16. Jundland Wastes Special Delivery

**Chapter Sixteen**

**Jundland Wastes Special Delivery**

            Several weeks following the incident on Endor with Darth Vader, Mayli found herself incredibly uncomfortable.  She needed to use the ‘fresher every fifteen minutes, her back ached no matter what position she sat or lay in, and everyone seemed to be so nice and understanding toward her, she wanted to punch them all in their stupid faces.  She attributed her pain and irritation to the fact that, according to her physician, the due date for the baby came and went four days before.

            Tired of lingering around home, where Mayli stayed the past three weeks following her final on-planet run for Jabba, taking the next six months off maternity leave, she persuaded Obi-Wan to take her to the palace to see their friends.  But now she regretted the decision immensely.  While the past few days proved to be nearly unbearable with Obi-Wan, his anxious looks, his over attentiveness, having everyone inquire about the baby and be so kind to her drove her insane.  And she knew her irritation to be unreasonable, but when she lashed out, the sweet looks she got in return made her feel like everyone was patronizing her.  She felt like screaming.

            Sitting at the bar having a smoothie, in which Solla added some hot sauce in hopes of speeding things along, she watched the holonews with Obi-Wan, his arm draped around her shoulders, hand gently rubbing her neck.  The story featured an interview with Senator Organa and his opposition of the Emperor.  No one connected him with the rebel attacks, but he seemed to now be playing both sides of Imperial law, trying to put up roadblocks in the puppet senate while assisting, and leading, rebel efforts. 

            But Mayli and Obi-Wan now remained on the outside, Organa once again checking in with Daddy O and the Bird through their bank account.  No contact with anyone, not even Yoda.  She wondered what the tiny green Jedi thought when his comm device burnt out, sitting alone in his swamp, swimming in the Dark Side.  The image made her deeply sad, and she vowed to visit him as soon as she was able.

            But the lack of contact from anyone made the point clear – focus on the baby.  Mayli felt sure Captain Ackbar informed the leaders of her run-in with Vader, and she knew Organa demanded that she’d done enough.

            Well, she did have enough – of being pregnant!  She groaned, looking at her barely drunk smoothie.  Why didn’t their child want to leave the womb?  Obi-Wan often reached out to the baby through the Force and knew he or she was okay.  Maybe too okay, resting comfortable, continually kicking Mayli’s bladder…

            “What is it, love?” asked Obi-Wan, leaning his head against hers lovingly.

            “I’m still pregnant,” she hissed at him, then took a big drink.  “And it’s all your fault.”

            She stood quickly and went over to where Drag and his brother played sabacc with a tall, slender Rodian.  The two men transformed the Womp Rat One back into the Nebula Flame weeks ago, covering the ship with brightly colored stardust.  The final product was beautiful, but Mayli had to admit she missed Jac the Womp Rat.

            “Deal me in,” she said, throwing a few credits on the table.

            “Damn Mayli, you still pregnant?” Drag laughed, but stopped as she glared daggers at him.

            “Never mind,” she said angrily, snatching her money up and walking back to Obi-Wan, grabbing him by the arm roughly.  “Come on.  I want to go home.”

            Obi-Wan wisely made no comment, and they walked to the ship.

            Before taking off, Mayli leaned her head against the controls, sighing deeply.  “Why won’t the baby come?!  I’m so sick of this.  I’m…ahhh!” She leaped up and headed back to the toilet.

            Halfway home, as they soared across the Jundland Wastes, Obi-Wan dared to look over at Mayli, piloting the ship, looking miserable.  Was there some Force technique he could use to get things moving?  He feared trying anything; what if he hurt her or the child?

            “This is all your fault,” she said, repeating her earlier comment.

            Obi-Wan laughed jovially.  “How so?”

            “Because you can never keep your hands or your penis to yourself,” she said darkly.

            Obi-Wan laughed hard at her silly comment.  “If I recall, you are the one who did not take the usual birth control supplement.”

            “What…are you mad about that?!” she turned and yelled at him, and Obi-Wan realized this was no time for playful banter.

            “No…no.  I’m glad this happened.  I never realized I wanted a child until you told me.  And now it’s the thing I want most in the galaxy,” he said, trying to put calm into his words, reaching out to her with the Force. 

            Mayli began to cry, her hands gripping the controls.  “Me too!” she sobbed.  “So why won’t he come out!  Why won’t…oh!”

            “What?” asked Obi-Wan, leaning toward her, watching as she put her hand against her large belly. 

            “I think…I think my water just broke.  I…ahhh,” she cried out in pain, standing from her seat at the helm, the ship tilting slightly. 

            Obi-Wan grabbed the controls as Mayli moved to the floor, landing the freighter roughly in the middle of the desert.  The realization occurred to him that this was the first time he ever piloted her ship, Mayli ever in control of her beloved Nebula Flame. 

            Setting everything to park, he kneeled beside Mayli.  “Let’s get to the cabin and…”

            But Mayli cried out again, and Obi-Wan sensed a sudden and complete urgency in the Force.  The baby was coming.  Now.

            “I don’t think…Obi…this is happening…now!” Mayli cried, trying to calm her breathing as the physician taught her.

            Obi-Wan glanced up at the R2 unit in the corner.  “I’ll get the droid to gather blankets and towels and…” he smiled down at her.  “We can have the baby right here in the cockpit, my love.”

            Mayli nodded weakly, sweat on her face as she breathed steadily.  Obi-Wan clicked on the droid, which sputtered to life and beeped something about start up procedures.  The Jedi stared, puzzled.

            “Darling, did the droid reset or…you told me you used it all the time and…”

            “I lied!” Mayli yelled.  “You kept hassling me and…ahhh….ohhh.”

            Obi-Wan had no time to be angry at Mayli.  He leaped up and ran to the main cabin, tearing the blanket off the bed while simultaneously using the Force to fling all other blankets, sheets, towels, and pillows from the drawers and shelves.  Returning to the cabin within a minute, he found Mayli calming down.

            “Sorry…sorry, sweetheart.  This is just…happening so…very fast,” she bit her lip, Obi-Wan sensing the pain, another contraction, coming very shortly.

            He worked quickly, building a nest for her in the cockpit, and he soon had her propped up as comfortably as possible, in the position the physician recommended, the way all the holonet articles said.  Finally, the reality of the situation set in.  This was really happening.  The baby would be here soon.  They’d been waiting so long, the moment itself forever seemed in the future.  But they were here now, and as Obi-Wan took her hand, excitement stirred every fiber of his being.

            “Mayli,” he said, looking into her violet eyes, and she smiled through her pain.  “This…this it it.”

            “I know,” she said back.  “Kiss me, Jedi.”

            The next hour went in a blur.  The droid did manage to procure water for them from the galley, and Mayli’s cries and Obi-Wan’s encouragement could most likely be heard outside the ship.  Then, as the first sun moved its way toward the horizon, the sky becoming lit with the colors of the initial sunset, silence filled the Jundland Wastes.

            Mayli lie exhausted, hovering between sleep and wake, wrapped up in their blanket from the bed, as Obi-Wan sat on the floor, back against the captain’s chair, holding their daughter. Zella Rey Kenobi, her large, deep blue eyes staring at him in wonder, a tuft of strawberry blonde hair on her head, had just calmed down from crying and made sweet cooing sounds, making Obi-Wan’s heart melt with love.  She did have quite a bit of hair, and Obi-Wan ran his fingers through her tiny locks.  So soft. So amazing.  He could not believe she was actually here.   

              “Hello my sweet girl, my beautiful daughter,” he said, kissing her forehead, feeling her tiny hand grab his beard.

            “Look at you,” Mayli said softly, looking up at him with a huge grin on her face.  “Daddy O.”

            He laughed softly, scooting over to hold Mayli.  His two girls, his ladies, his family.  Tears began to fall down his cheeks as he watched the baby watch them, and he heard Mayli crying as well.

            “I know now why the Jedi forbid attachment,” Obi-Wan said softly to Mayli.

            “Why?” Mayli asked, taking Zella from him, snuggling the baby carefully to her.

            “I feel immensely protective of her,” he said. “I will literally kill anyone who hurts her.”  The second he said this, he knew it to be true.  Damned be the fool who crossed Obi-Wan Kenobi’s daughter.

            Mayli laughed.  “Well, I better warn her first boyfriend before he breaks her heart.”

            “Boyfriend?” gasped Obi-Wan, looking down at the baby again.  “Zella Rey will never leave the Kenobi homestead.”

            “Oh yes she will,” Mayli said, then giggled, Obi-Wan’s favorite sound in the world.  Well, maybe now tied with the gentle murmuring of his baby girl.  Mayli nodded to the pilot’s chair.  “Who do you think is going to be the captain of this freighter one day?”

            Obi-Wan looked up at the chair, imagining his daughter older.  He shook the image out of his brain.  Time for that later.  He’d always heard the expression that children grow up so fast.  He wanted to enjoy now, the present, the baby Zella. 

            But when he looked back down at Zella, a sudden recollection rocked him.  The dream he had, months ago, when he saw the Sith Jac and the holocron…and then he’d slipped to sitting at a tapcaf with a beautiful young blonde woman.  He’d recognized her then, but couldn’t put a name to her.  But now he knew…that was Zella Rey, his daughter.

            She’d looked up at him and gasped, her eyes wide in shock.  Why had she been surprised to see him?

            “Ben,” came Mayli’s voice, bringing him out of the thought.  “You look worried.  What’s wrong?”

            He took a deep breath and told Mayli about the dream, long ago pushed into the back of his mind with the excitement over her meeting with Vader.  Mayli looked thoughtful for a long time, then shrugged. 

            “Probably just a dream,” she said.  “And we knew our child would have fair hair.  And you said yourself, you have never been one for foresight.”

            Obi-Wan nodded, but still couldn’t get the thought to leave him.  Why had his own daughter looked so shocked to see her father?

            “Zella Rey Kenobi,” Mayli said, holding up the baby slightly, smiling widely.  “Child of Tatooine, born under the Twin Suns in the Jundland Wastes.  Daughter of Mayli Solamen of Corellia, best pilot in the galaxy, also known in the Rebellion as the Bird.  Daughter of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi, powerful in the Force and the best bartender along the Outer Rim, always sporting the most well-groomed beard this side of Mos Eisley.”

            Obi-Wan laughed hard.  “Hmmm…too bad we didn’t have a son.  I would love to pass on my grooming techniques.”  He leaned into her and winked.

            Mayli playfully slapped his arm.  “Stay away from me, you cad.  One is enough for now.  Keep your hands, and your seed, to yourself for a while.”

            Obi-Wan wrapped himself around Mayli as she cuddled their baby, and both watched in wonder as little Zella watched them back.

            Hours passed before Obi-Wan piloted the ship to their home, the protective Mayli, wrapped up with Zella in the co-pilot’s chair, instructing him the entire way.

            Days turned into weeks and weeks into months, and the little family fell into a routine in their little clifftop homestead.  Of course the first few weeks were filled with getting used to being parents, feeding, changing, figuring out how to take care of little Zella.  Both Mayli and Obi-Wan read to her nightly, despite the fact she most likely didn’t understand the story.  They sang to her, songs made up with her name, sung to the tune of Max Rebo hits.  They struggled to figure out why she was crying and reveled in making her laugh.  Even Sniff took a liking to Zella, coming right over to the edge of his enclosure whenever one of the parents walked by with the baby.

            After a month, the couple brought the baby to Jabba’s to officially introduce her, and she became the focus of everyone’s adoration.  Even Jabba found the little girl adorable, although Obi-Wan made sure to keep her far out of reach of the Hutt.  Following this visit, Obi-Wan returned to work two evenings a week, Mayli coming along with Zella every now and then, often heading to Solla’s so the elderly woman could spend time with the child, named for her sister.

            Mayli’s parents came and stayed a week, Rey and Xander playing the proud grandma and grandpa.  Watching them get to know their grandchild gave Obi-Wan a slight pang in his heart, wishing he knew his parents, wondering where they were at and if they ever thought of him.  They would never know their legacy, their grandchild.  He’d been brought to the Temple so young, Yoda, Qui-Gon and the rest were all he ever knew.  Would Yoda ever meet Zella?  And where was Qui-Gon?

            And so it went, Mayli and Obi-Wan becoming more confident in their parenting, arguing from time-to-time, sneaking in a moment for themselves for lovemaking or just sleep.  At six months, however, Mayli returned to work, doing on-planet, daily runs for the next year, as per request.  And since Mayli remained one of Jabba’s favorite pilots, she usually got what she wanted.

            Obi-Wan watched the Nebula Flame fly away from his spot in his meditation garden that first morning Mayli left, Zella wrapped up comfortably in a basket placed on the opposite bench.  She slept, so he took a moment to slip into meditation.

            Her laughter brought him back within a few minutes, and as he opened his eyes slowly, a grin spreading across his face.  Qui-Gon sat on the bench next to Zella, looking down into the basket happily.

            “So beautiful, Obi-Wan,” he said, his voice sounding distant, Obi-Wan noticing his image faded.  “You and Mayli have done well.”

            The spirit waved into the basket, and Qui-Gon crossed his eyes and stuck out his tongue, Zella laughing harder.

            Could she see him?

            “Is she Force sensitive?” Obi-Wan asked.  Zella hadn’t exhibited any traits yet, but her seeing Qui-Gon…

            “She sees me,” the ghost said.  “But that is not a good indicator.  I don’t know, my son.  Time will tell.” A pause.  “Would you like her to be?”

            While Obi-Wan considered at first this possibility, looking forward to training his daughter, watching her put together her first lightsaber, learn the ways of the Force, those thoughts got pushed aside during their basic care of the little girl.

            “I would be happy either way,” he said truthfully.  “There are strengths and drawbacks to experiencing the Force like we do.  As with all things.  I…I just want her to be healthy and happy.”

            Qui-Gon nodded.  “Well said.”  Another long pause, his old master now staring intently at him.  “I’ve come to say good-bye.”

            “What?” Obi-Wan said, his voice a bit higher than he wanted.  “Master, I…I still need you.  What about the Empire, the…”

            Qui-Gon raised a hand.  “Obi-Wan, I’ve taught you everything I can.  Even how to achieve this spirit state.  I wish to move on…immortality does not suit me.  I stand on the precipice of something greater.  Well, maybe not greater, but different.  A place I’ve never been.  I long to move on…move forward.” He looked back down at Zella, sadness taking over his face.  “I am glad you’ve found happiness.  I feel…I feel a lot of guilt for putting you in this spot.  For thrusting the responsibility of Anakin onto you.”  He sighed and shook his head.  “The Chosen One.”

            Obi-Wan did not know what to say to this, and silence fell between the two for quite some time, the only sound the wind and Zella gabbing in her baby speech.

            “Master, we all thought Anakin was the Chosen One.  And…I do not regret what happened.  Not now.  Regret and guilt…you cannot live with things like that,” Obi-Wan said finally.

            Qui-Gon smiled warmly.  “You are a wise man, Obi-Wan.  Much wiser than me.  I am proud to have been a part of your life.  Proud to have been a part of your story.”

            And he vanished.  Gone.  And Obi-Wan sat, his gaze transfixed on the spot where he last saw Qui-Gon, sitting by his baby girl.  But now, only Zella in her basket remained.

            Then a warm breeze rustled his hair, and he heard the voice of Qui-Gon, this time loud, full, and rich.

            “Obi-Wan, the Force will be with you.  Always.”

           

 

****

****


	17. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

**Tatooine Rebels**

 

            Kell looked up from his work station in his tent on Yavin 4.  Sky just entered, carrying his bag of arts supplies, a smile on his face.  The Jetts arrived on the moon months ago, brought to the rebel base by Captain Ackbar, and soon Kell got to work devising safer, more heavily encrypted ways for the growing rebellion to communicate.  And while small, this Yavin 4 set up seemed to be growing into one of the main outposts for the resistance against the Empire.

            A year passed since his sudden and fateful decision to abandon his post on Endor, and Kell knew within days he’d made the right choice.  His intelligence on the Empire offered the rebel leaders much, and his expertise in radio communication proved valuable.  For the first time since the loss of his wife, Kell felt he had a place in the galaxy, and he was helping people rather than tracking them down to be destroyed.

            Sky enjoyed being with the rebellion immensely, and especially loved Yavin 4, going out on a daily basis to sketch, embracing his artistic talents further.  Kell as well as other tech workers, who seemed to be the largest portion of the population on the Yavin 4 base, assisted in Sky’s education, and the boy also found a couple of friends his own age amongst the families there, several who consisted of former military and political leaders in exile.

            While the living conditions were less than ideal, the jungle moon humid and hot, Kell began to feel truly happy again.

            “Are you seriously going to wear that tonight, dad?” Sky asked, sitting next to him at the desk and eyeing him skeptically.

            Kell looked down at himself.  He wore his usual gray cargo pants and navy button up shirt.  “Um…yes.”

            “Come on, dad.  If you want to impress a girl, you need to dress nice,” Sky said, rolling his eyes.

            Kell burst out laughing.  “What did you just say?”

            “One of the older boys told me,” Sky said, moving off to put his work away in the small living space. 

            Kell smiled after his boy.  They’d had a long discussion over him beginning to see Lollie, one of the mechanics of the ever growing rebel fleet.  Kell and her often took lunch together in the mess hall, and after several months, Kell suddenly asked, without a thought, if she’d like to accompany him to dinner and a show.  Of course, on Yavin 4 this meant dinner in the same mess hall and watching a decades-old holofilm in the small hanger.  But she’d accepted immediately, and Kell felt the nerves of a first date coupled with the anxiety of telling his son he’d finally found someone he could perhaps move on with.

            But Sky seemed excited, and even went to Lollie, without telling Kell first, to give her permission to marry his father because “he found her pretty and funny and smart.” While this caused Kell a large degree of embarrassment, Lollie kissed him on the cheek and told him she couldn’t wait for their date.

            Looking down at himself now, he stood, deciding to change into something nicer after all.

            Light years away, on Tatooine, Mayli parked the Nebula Flame in the cave garage, tired from a long day in Anchorhead.  She wanted to be home hours before, but the shipment to the palace got delayed.  She hoped Zella and Obi-Wan were already asleep, as the time was quite late.

            Arriving in front of their home, she froze, feeling something different in the air.  Glancing over to the meditation garden, she gasped.  The benches hovered in the air.  Moving toward the front door, Mayli entered the house slowly, her breath again catching in wonder.  All their possessions floated in the air, the pillows, the trinkets, even the furniture a few inches above the ground.

            Zella’s soft giggling came from her room, and Mayli moved quietly down the hall.  Entering the baby’s room, she saw the same thing, toys, blankets, everything in the air.  She looked to see Obi-Wan sleeping in the nearby rocking chair, data pad clutched in his hand on his lap, head thrown back, snoring softly.  Mayli smiled, knowing he’d once again fallen asleep after finishing Zella’s bedtime story.

            But Zella was wide awake, lying on her back watching her stuffed toys dance above her.  Over the past year, Obi-Wan seemed more convinced that Zella might not be Force sensitive, maybe with a slight inclination, as he knew she’d seen the spirit of Qui-Gon.  She’d exhibited no other traits.  But now, Mayli watching the toys dance through the room, Zella’s laughter making her grin broadly, she knew he’d been wrong.

            She kneeled next to Obi-Wan, gently kissing him on the cheek.

            “Ben,” she whispered.  “Ben, wake up.”

            He slowly opened his eyes and smiled sleepily at her, but then jerked and rose to his feet with a start, seeing the goings on in their home.

            “What…Zella?”

            “The garden too,” Mayli said, looking at him as he walked over to the crib to study Zella. 

            Obi-Wan stared their child, speechless.  Finally, he turned to Mayli, who now stood next to him at the elaborate, Alderaanian crib.

            “Look…how amazing,” he stammered, losing his words and focusing on the baby again. 

            Mayli felt her heart surge with love for both her mate and their child.  She leaned her head on his shoulder.        

            “See, Obi,” she said softly, as Zella let out a delighted, loud laugh.  “You are not the last Jedi.  The Skywalker twins are not the only hope in the galaxy.” She leaned in to kiss his ear as she whispered.  “There is another.”

The End

**“Live now. Make now always the most precious time.  Now will never come again.”**

**_From “Inner Light,” Star Trek: The Next Generation_ **

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**_Author’s Note:  I would like to dedicate this story to my husband, who once again provided wonderful support by giving me needed feedback, listening to my brainstorming, and editing my chapters.  I’m so lucky to have such a supportive man in my life._ **

**_I hope you enjoyed Tatooine Rebels.  I loved writing this story, continuing the adventures of Obi-Wan and Mayli, and I hope you will join me for the final story, Tatooine Sunsets, posted in a few weeks.  Here is a brief synopsis:_ **

**_For nineteen years, Obi-Wan Kenobi carved out a life for himself on Tatooine, watching over Luke Skywalker from afar, building a home with his beloved Mayli, and raising his daughter Zella Rey.  The arrival of a former foe, bearing a Sith holocron, a data chip of battle station plans, and an impossible idea, shatters this peaceful existence, revealing to Obi-Wan his ultimate destiny._ **

**_In the meantime, please check out my other story,_ ** **Drudgery at Imperial Human Resources: One Sith’s Story _, which will connect to the events in Tatooine Sunsets, posted in a few days.  Also, don’t forget_ Another Galaxy _, a completely unrelated Obi-Wan and Anakin fic I’m having a blast developing._**

**_Thank you so much for reading my story and allowing my words into your life week after week.  Hope you continue to read my work._ **

**_May the Force be with you…always!_ **

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